Vladimir Putin’s expected return to the presidency has led many to give up on the idea of free elections in Russia. However Eurasia Foundation’s latest documentary film, showed how democracy is still possible at the local level.
Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program and Eurasia Foundation hosted a special screening of Made in Berdsk: a Story of One Protest Vote, the third film in a series of short documentaries that explores regional elections in Russia. This film tracks the mayoral race in the Siberian town of Berdsk. When the front-runner from the ruling United Russia party refuses to participate in a debate organized by the local newspaper, the move backfires at the ballot box—triggering a rare runoff election against a charismatic young communist.
After the screening, Galina Komornikova of Kurier.Sreda.Berdsk and journalist Dmitry Dedyshev, both local activists from Berdsk, joined the maker of the film, Maria Eismont of New Eurasia Foundation, Peter Baker of The New York Times, and Carnegie’s Ambassador James F. Collins for a panel discussion on democracy in Russia. Carnegie’s Thomas de Waal moderated.
Panellists agreed that the film countered the widely held notion that ordinary people cannot affect change in Russia. But they were cautious as to whether the experience of Berdsk could be repeated at a higher level. The film demonstrated how the abolition of single-mandate seats in the State Duma had been a big blow to Russian democracy, said Collins.
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