Posted By Joshua Keating Share

As usual, the restive region of Chechnya went a bit over the top with the election fraud in Russia's presidential contest, with 99.59 percent reported turnout and 99.82 percent of voters backing Vladimir Putin. One precinct, according to the New York Times, really went above and beyond: 

The final tally: Putin, 1,482 votes; Gennady A. Zyuganov, the Communist Party leader, one vote.

This result was in itself statistically improbable. But even more difficult for the teachers who had been drafted onto the electoral commission to explain was the turnout: there were only 1,389 people registered in the precinct, meaning that the turnout was 107 percent.

Given what was going on elsewhere in the region, it's not really hard to understand how this happened: 

Through the day in this neighborhood of Grozny, dozens of minibuses, some bearing the emblem of the local Gazprom affiliate, ChechenRegionGaz, shuttled voters to, from and — significantly — between polling stations.

It was hardly concealed. Asked what she was doing entering more than one polling station, one woman replied without hesitation, “We’re voting.”

Marieta N. Beshirova, a nurse, bundled in a felt coat against a frigid mist drifting down from the Caucasus Mountains, piled out of an ambulance at one polling station with other hospital employees. “If our Ramzan needs us to vote, we will vote,” she said, referring to the region’s leader, Ramzan A. Kadyrov. “And we will do it wholeheartedly,” she added, without any enthusiasm.

This goes back to a recent post I wrote on election results in non-democratic elections. While the contests are equally undemocratic, there's a significant difference between countries like Iran and Russia -- where victories tend to be in the 60s -- and places like Cuba and North Korea -- where they're closer to 95 or even 99 percent. 

Russia's something of a hybrid case. Nationwide, Putin took a high but certainly statistically possible 63 percent. Chechnya is essentially a North Korea-like island of absolute dictatorship within Putin's managed democracy. 

One wonders why the Kremlin continues to allow this sort of thing to go on in Chechnya -- it doesn't exactly help Putin's global image to have the fraud be quite this blatant. It seems like either Putin is essentialy giving Ramzan Kadyrov pretty free rein to rule Chechnya as he sees fit, or he views the election as an opportunity to demonstrate absolute power over a previously rebellious region.  

STR/AFP/Getty Images

EXPLORE:FLASH POINTS
 

GRANT

9:18 PM ET

March 6, 2012

Amusingly, as the New York

Amusingly, as the New York Times points out, after they gave conflicting stories for the odd vote they ultimately gave all 1,389 votes to Putin - even though by their own claims one of those votes should have gone to Putin's 'opponent'.

 

RES PUBLIC

10:59 AM ET

March 7, 2012

True story from Russian legal system:

If Putin wins at least 110% at the next election, he will have the mandate necessary to legally enact changes in mathematical equations.

 

JOHN NEWCOMB

4:19 PM ET

March 7, 2012

Russia "took care" of some Chechnyans

From FP story, Kill the Messenger":

" It was a combination of brutal tactics -- a Stalinist purge of fighting-age males plus Orwellian propaganda that fed Russians a narrative wherein Chechen freedom fighters were transformed into Islamist mercenaries and terrorists. More than 200,000 civilians were to die in this war, the echoes of which continue to this day."

 

BILL EVERETT

2:47 AM ET

March 8, 2012

A mountain out of a molehill

I strongly suspect that a correct count of the ballots cast in that precinct was very close to (if not exactly) "The final tally: Putin, 1,482 votes; Gennady A. Zyuganov, the Communist Party leader, one vote. " I think the problem was a not very competent election commission that failed to correctly report the number of people on the "supplementary list." The author should become more familiar with Russian election law. There were many precincts in Moscow City and Moscow Oblast with about 200 to 300 registered voters that had 600 to over 1000 votes cast for Putin. That gives a turnout of more than 200% to 300% in those precincts by the author's way of calculating. And all those for Putin were "technically legal" by Russian election law, although there are reasons to doubt the strict legality.

Why make a mountain out of a molehill when there are plenty of real mountains?

 

MAXIMB

1:11 PM ET

March 19, 2012

Vain Human Gods will never

Vain Human Gods will never admit liability or errors. And certainly you see by the answers that follow that what I say is true. Their answers are so perfect as to never admit liability or mistake. And they are sure to put you in your place, below their feet. (I'm also long haired freaky person, as yourself) Look at them, they even are sure that they know exactly what the Muslims are fighting for. How do you suppose that they know all that, huh? They are so eager to believe U.S. government propaganda, aren't they?.

"Is rio orange war always comparateur forfait mobile inevitable ?"
MaximB

 

MAXIMB

8:34 AM ET

March 22, 2012

if the allies had put

if the allies had put stricter measures on germany about keeping to the treaty of versile then germany wouldnt have rebuilt its armed forces and had to caperbility to invade the rhyne land czchoslivakia and poland the invasion of poland leading to france and britain declaring war on germany.

"Is rio orange war always forfait mobile illimite inevitable ?"
MaximB

 

MAXIMB

10:43 PM ET

March 22, 2012

It meant that many of our

It meant that many of our former ''allies'' do not feel threatened and not can show their appreciation by calling us war mongers/threat to world peace.

"Is rio orange war always forfait mobile inevitable ?"
MaximB

 

SELDONCIPRIAN

12:29 AM ET

April 5, 2012

The author should become more

The author should become more familiar with Russian election law. There were many precincts in Moscow City and Moscow Oblast with about 200 to 300 registered voters that had 600 to over 1000 votes cast for Putin. That gives a turnout of more than 200% to 300% in those precincts wideboots by the author's way of calculating. And all those for Putin were "technically legal" by Russian election law, although there are reasons to doubt the strict legality.

 

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