US official: Caribbean to become larger drug route
San Antonio ExpressSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top U.S. State Department official says the Caribbean will likely see a surge in drug trafficking activity by 2015 as operations shift to the tropics due to a crackdown in much of Latin America.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top U.S. State Department official says the Caribbean will likely see a surge in drug trafficking activity by 2015 as operations shift to the tropics due to a crackdown in much of Latin America.
William Brownfield says he believes drug traffickers squeezed out of Mexico, Central America and South America will target the Caribbean because it's spacious and allows them to remain undercover and take advantage of weak law enforcement in certain countries.
Brownfield is assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement. He spoke to The Associated Press Wednesday during an official visit to Puerto Rico.
Brownfield also said Congress recently approved $40 million to help boost security in the Caribbean as part of a federal program. Officials haven't decided how the money will be spent.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/article/US-official-Caribbean-to-become-larger-drug-route-4407238.php#ixzz2PnPNRCEI
-
Justice Sotomayor visits Puerto Rico on book tour - WIVB - 4/2/2013 - (author unknown)
US Marshals Led Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force Uncover Marijuana ... - Latin American Herald Tribune - 4/4/2013 - (author unknown)
Puerto Rico gov: Give illegal migrants licenses - Beaumont Enterprise - 3/7/2013 - (author unknown)
Puerto Rico Court Upholds Gay Adoption Ban, Thousands March ... - 2/21/2013 - Aramais Nersesyan
Spain returns 200-year-old remains of Puerto Rican hero to the island - The Province - 4/6/2013 - (author unknown)
-
Kate Middleton delighted her fashion fans by wearing two distinct coats on a trip to...
Promotional duties for Tom Cruise's film Oblivion are taking him to the four corners of the...
When the Queen agreed to appear as a Bond girl at the Olympics opening ceremony she probably...
"Fue un recibimiento sencillo que duró básicamente dos horas para darle la bienvenida y compartir con al jueza Sonia Sotomayor, que nadie puede cuestionar la deferencia y el respeto que el pueblo le tiene a una hija de esta tierra que ha llegado a la posición federal de mayor jerarquía en la historia"
Ricky Martin y Culson juntos en la Fortaleza - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
Participaron de agasajo a jueza Sonia Sotomayor
Ricky Martin y Culson juntos en la Fortaleza - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
Participaron de agasajo a jueza Sonia Sotomayor
"Estaba Ricky Martin, Javier Culson, Francisco Rodón, Myrna Báez y Justino Díaz"... Pero no era un party... Ujumm...
García Padilla rechaza que haya realizado fiesta anoche en La Fortaleza - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
Dice que se trató de una cena en honor a la jueza Sonia Sotomayor
García Padilla rechaza que haya realizado fiesta anoche en La Fortaleza - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
Dice que se trató de una cena en honor a la jueza Sonia Sotomayor
Power y Giralt fue el primer diputado de las Cortes Españolas con derecho a voz y voto en la Junta Suprema y Gubernativa cuando en enero de 1809 Puerto Rico se declaró provincia española. Dos siglos después, Puerto Rico sigue mantenido por otro gobierno, pero sin voto. Progreso? o Mantengo?
Mañana llegan los restos de Ramón Power - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
El recibimiento que se iniciará con salvas de honor cuando el buque entre en la Bahía de San Juan
Mañana llegan los restos de Ramón Power - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
El recibimiento que se iniciará con salvas de honor cuando el buque entre en la Bahía de San Juan
NEXT PAGE OF STORIES
LOADING...
PAGE 2
El Destacamento de Reservistas boricuas es la segunda unidad en ser movilizada en el 2013.
Parten soldados puertorriqueños hacia suelo afgano
www.vocero.com
El destacamento de tropas boricuas tendrá como misión la clasificación, desmilitarización y disposición de equipo con motivo de la retirada gradual de las tropas estadounidense de esa región.
Parten soldados puertorriqueños hacia suelo afgano
www.vocero.com
El destacamento de tropas boricuas tendrá como misión la clasificación, desmilitarización y disposición de equipo con motivo de la retirada gradual de las tropas estadounidense de esa región.
PUERTO RICO NEWS: 4.6.13 - REUTERS Americas: Puerto Rico Approves Public Pension System Overhaul
prnewslinks.blogspot.com
Comprehensive collection of newslinks to Puerto Rico, The Caribbean and The Latino Culture - Amplia colección de newslinks a Puerto Rico, el Caribe y la Cultura Latina
El osario que contiene los restos del militar y político fallecido en 1813 fue escoltado por la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos alrededor de todo el Viejo San Juan, desde el Castillo San Cristóbal hasta el Muelle 1, donde ancló la nave. Posteriormente, oficiales de la Marina de Guerra española hicieron la entrega oficial al gobernador Alejandro García Padilla en el Arsenal de la Puntilla.
EN VIVO: Llegan los restos de Ramón Power y Giralt - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
El osario será escoltado por todo el Viejo San Juan y recibirá honores de la Asamblea Legislativa
EN VIVO: Llegan los restos de Ramón Power y Giralt - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
El osario será escoltado por todo el Viejo San Juan y recibirá honores de la Asamblea Legislativa
PUERTO RICO NEWS: 4.6.13 - Blogs in Spanish - Review
prnewslinks.blogspot.com
Comprehensive collection of newslinks to Puerto Rico, The Caribbean and The Latino Culture - Amplia colección de newslinks a Puerto Rico, el Caribe y la Cultura Latina
NEXT PAGE OF STORIES
LOADING...
PAGE 3
PUERTO RICO NEWS - ARCHIVE LINKS
PUERTO RICO NEWS: 4.6.13 - PUERTO RICO BLOGS Review
prnewslinks.blogspot.com
Comprehensive collection of newslinks to Puerto Rico, The Caribbean and The Latino Culture - Amplia colección de newslinks a Puerto Rico, el Caribe y la Cultura Latina
Puerto Rico Report
Puerto Rico Report strives to be the best source of news and information relating to the November 2012 plebiscite in Puerto Rico and its relevance to all Americans.
A Puerto Rican in South Carolina and her quest for a better community
VOXXI North Charleston, S.C., is no stranger to media attention owed to its mean streets and high crimerates. It's not exactly ... Lydia Cotton is a Puerto Rican native who arrived in North Charleston in 1989 and is an example in community leadership. As an ... |
 IANS |
City's two annual Puerto Rican parades will combine
WLS Instead of the downtown parade, which has seen a smaller crowd in years past, organizers on Tuesday announced a “historic” united Puerto Rican People's Parade to begin on Division and Western streets June 15, right under the iron Puerto Rican flag. The ... Shootout in Puerto Rico leaves 4 deadGlobalPost all 10 news articles » |
US official: Caribbean to become larger drug route
San Antonio Express SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top U.S. State Department official says the Caribbean will likely see a surge in drug trafficking activity by 2015 as operations shift to the tropics due to a crackdown in much of Latin America. William Brownfield says ... and more » |
NEXT PAGE OF STORIES
LOADING...
PAGE 4
US official: Caribbean to become larger drug route
WGME SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- A top U.S. State Department official says the Caribbean will likely see a surge in drug trafficking activity by 2015 as operations shift to the tropics due to a crackdown in much of Latin America. William Brownfield says ... and more » |
Four die in Puerto Rico gunfight
Newstrack India San Juan, April 4 (IANS/EFE) Four people were killed and another wounded in a gunfight on a highway, Puerto Rican police said. More than 100 shell casings were recovered at the scene of the Tuesday night shootout at the Jose de Diego highway, including ... and more » |
 KOKH FOX25 |
Four Killed in Shootout on Puerto Rican Highway
Hispanically Speaking News Puerto Rico for years has been beset by a crime wave linked to drug trafficking that every weekend results in an average of 10 murders, the majority of them involving score-settling between groups ofcriminals warring over control of street-corner sales. Univ. of Puerto Rico head won't resign over fraud caseGlobalPost Puerto Rico to overhaul public pension systemWPEC all 15 news articles » |
 The Epoch Times |
Drug Bust: 100 Arrested, 700 Officers, 4 States
The Epoch Times Drug bust 100 arrested: More than 100 people were arrested Wednesday in four states and Puerto Rico in relation to a large-scale drug trafficking ring operating primarily between Connecticut, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. ... “Today we have ... The DEA says Dominican caught in Connecticut is a major drug traffickerDominican Today Drug bust: 100 arrested |
Springfield resident Julio Freytes caught up in major drug sweep; Feds arrest ...MassLive.com
Toronto Sun- TheDay.com-Reuters India
all 47 news articles »
The Caribbean Likely To See Surge In Drug Trafficking, US Officials Say
Huffington Post SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A top U.S. State Department official says the Caribbean will likely see a surge in drug trafficking activity by 2015 as operations shift to the tropics due to a crackdown in much of Latin America. William Brownfield says he ... and more » |
WEBMASTER@ICE.GOV (ICE)
Through PRCACTF, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies work together with local and state government agencies to effectively pool their resources to jointly investigate all crimes against children in Puerto Rico.
NEXT PAGE OF STORIES
LOADING...
PAGE 5
 New York Times |
In 2nd Alleged Bribe Scheme, a Legislator Was in on the Case
New York Times 16, the five defendants took rooms at a hotel in Albany, where they were to attend the conference of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators. After Rostislav Belyansky gave the confidential witness $5,000, all in $100 bills |
Two days after a political corruption scandal rocked Albany, a new, unrelated bribery scheme emerged on Thursday, adorned with a can-you-top-this quality: For more than a year, a sitting state legislator wore a wire intended to catch at least one of his colleagues.
Multimedia
Related
Lawmakers in New York Tied to Bribery Plot in Mayor Race(April 3, 2013)
Related in Opinion
Editorial: More Rot in Albany(April 4, 2013)
John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times
Mr. Stevenson, second from left, a Democrat, was also accused of introducing legislation to block competing developers, and, in recordings by Mr. Castro, he expressed fears of being caught.
Ángel Franco/The New York Times
The United States attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara, at the lectern, said in a news conference on Thursday that corruption in Albany was now “rampant” and part of the political culture.
Librado Romero/The New York Times
Assemblyman Nelson L. Castro cooperated in the case.
The secret recordings helped lead to the arrest of Eric A. Stevenson, a Democratic state assemblyman representing parts of the South Bronx, who was charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan with accepting more than $22,000 in bribes to help developers open adult day care centers in his district. Mr. Stevenson was also accused of introducing legislation to block competing developers from building new centers for three years.
“For the second time in three days, we unseal criminal charges against a sitting member of our State Legislature,” Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, said at a news conference. “It becomes more and more difficult to avoid the sad conclusion that political corruption in New York is indeed rampant and that a show-me-the-money culture in Albany is alive and well.”
and more »
 Latin American Herald Tribune |
US Marshals Led Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force Uncover Marijuana ...
Latin American Herald Tribune Cosme Rios has a state warrant out of Puerto Rico for an alleged murder and a federal warrant for allegedly violating his conditions of release from a prior federal criminal case. Upon executing the warrant of arrest and making entry into the residence ... |
Sotomayor greeted a large crowd of students and teachers Tuesday morning as she entered the Law School of the University of Puerto Rico, where she spoke about her memoir, “My Beloved World.” The book gives a ...
 Business Recorder |
Operation Broken Secret nets 10 arrests for child pornography
Imperial Valley News San Juan, Puerto Rico - In what is considered to be an unprecedented increase in the number of child pornography cases in Puerto Rico, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, working ... Four Killed in Shootout on Puerto Rican HighwayHispanically Speaking News Univ. of Puerto Rico head won't resign over fraud caseGlobalPost Puerto Rico to overhaul public pension systemWPEC all 24 news articles » |
 7Online WSVN-TV |
Caribbean Influx in Narcotics
Caribarena Antigua The Eastern Caribbean sees less drug traffic than the central Caribbean corridor, but it still remains a transshipment point for cocaine en route to Europe and Canada, as well as Colombian heroin destined for Puerto Rico and the US mainland. The US ... US official: Caribbean to become larger drug routeSan Antonio Express all 6 news articles » |
7Online WSVN-TV |
Caribbean Influx in Narcotics
Caribarena Antigua The Eastern Caribbean sees less drug traffic than the central Caribbean corridor, but it still remains a transshipment point for cocaine en route to Europe and Canada, as well as Colombian heroin destined for Puerto Rico and the US mainland. The US ... US official: Caribbean to become larger drug routeSan Antonio Express all 6 news articles » |
Reclaiming Sacred Ground in Florida after Ponce de Leon
Huffington Post The conquistador and former shipmate of Christopher Columbus sailed 1400 plus nautical miles fromPuerto Rico to claim this "uninhabited" new world for Spain in 1513. He had more gold on his mind, having been wildly successful at subduing the Taíno ... and more » |
 WNYC |
Castro's Role in Scandal Angers Constituents, Colleagues
WNYC But Castro spent almost his entire tenure in office as a convicted criminal who had been cooperating with law enforcement authorities for years. On paper ... But he was elected the board of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican ... and more » |
A worrying crime prediction
The Freeport News Brownfield gave the interview during a visit to Puerto Rico, where he was to discuss the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative program. The program exists to boost regional security with the help of money from the U.S.. Brownfield's prediction should be ... and more » |
Un dólar en la Puerto Rico equivale a .86 centavos
Un dólar en la Isla vale .86 centavos - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
Se redujo su poder adquisitivo desde el 2006
Un dólar en la Isla vale .86 centavos - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
Se redujo su poder adquisitivo desde el 2006
NEXT PAGE OF STORIES
LOADING...
PAGE 2
Venezuelan authorities raided late Thursday the home and office of what they say is a local representative of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., the brokerage subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings Inc., for allegedly violating foreign-exchange regulations.
The acting president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, puts a curse on citizens who do not vote for him in next week's election.
 Latin American Herald Tribune |
Puerto Rico creates tax shelters in appeal to the rich
Business Standard The tax savings could add up to "at least in the six figures" each year, said Barry Breeman, an American who said he was moving to Puerto Rico with his wife. Breeman is the co-founder of the New York-based Caribbean Property Group, a real estate ... Puerto Rico : government initiatives to grow insurance sectorNews-Insurances (press release) all 13 news articles » |
PUERTO RICO BUSINESS NEWS
PUERTO RICO NEWS: Blogs Review - 10:45 AM 3/30/2013
prnewslinks.blogspot.com
Comprehensive collection of newslinks to Puerto Rico, The Caribbean and The Latino Culture - Amplia colección de newslinks a Puerto Rico, el Caribe y la Cultura Latina
PUERTO RICO BUSINESS NEWS
PUERTO RICO NEWS: Business News Review - 11:20 AM 3/30/2013
prnewslinks.blogspot.com
Comprehensive collection of newslinks to Puerto Rico, The Caribbean and The Latino Culture - Amplia colección de newslinks a Puerto Rico, el Caribe y la Cultura Latina
PUERTO RICO BUSINESS NEWS
NEXT PAGE OF STORIES
LOADING...
PAGE 3
PUERTO RICO BUSINESS NEWS
PUERTO RICO NEWS: 4.6.13 - REUTERS Americas: Puerto Rico Approves Public Pension System Overhaul
prnewslinks.blogspot.com
Comprehensive collection of newslinks to Puerto Rico, The Caribbean and The Latino Culture - Amplia colección de newslinks a Puerto Rico, el Caribe y la Cultura Latina
Alegría Rampante anfitriona esta serie de conciertos dominicales que empezara tempranito los domingos para darle broche de oro a tus semanas.
Fechas y Artistas Invitados :
13 de enero, Fernando Samalot
27 de enero, Hector Del Manzano
3 de febrero, Saul Robles (Un.Real)
17 de febrero, Daniel Vicente (Pasajero)
puertas abren a las 6:30pm
entrada - tba
http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/399584253459028/?suggestsessionid=7860454441357736036
READ THE WHOLE STORY
· ·
NEXT PAGE OF STORIES
LOADING...
PAGE 4
S&P: #PR’spension reform is a credit plus, but big budget gap looms large. Read:
http://ow.ly/jNjKi #caribbeanbusiness
http://ow.ly/jNjKi #caribbeanbusiness
Puerto Rico International Regatta ready to set sail
April 6, 2013
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Preparations are underway for the seventh edition of the Puerto Rico Heineken International Regatta (PRHIR), which will take place Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27 at the Palmas Yacht Club in Palmas del Mar, Humacao.- Business symposium charts the way forward for increased economic development in St Lucia
- Barbadians too conservative, says minister
- Caribbean countries to boost biosphere reserve development
- Grenada helps make UN history that raises hope for saving lives worldwide
- Jamaica signs bilateral investment treaty with Kuwait
- St Lucia students shocked and saddened at PM's statements
- Drought and tropical storms hinder food supply in Haiti
This post has been generated by Page2RSS
The 200-year-old remains of a Puerto Rican hero arrived on the island Saturday after an exhaustive quest to identify his body and bring it home. Hundreds of Puerto Ricans ...
Spain returns 200-year-old remains of Puerto Rican hero to the island
Montreal Gazette SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The 200-year-old remains of a Puerto Rican hero arrived on the island Saturday after an exhaustive quest to identify his body and bring it home. Hundreds of Puerto Ricans cheered as Spanish navy officers wearing white uniforms ... and more » |
NEXT PAGE OF STORIES
This Week Front Page Story: The coming export opportunity. Read: http://ow.ly/jOjzL #caribbeanbusiness
ALFREDO RAFAEL HABERSHAM PABON
http:
gdata.youtube.com
schemas
2007#video
Sex is probably one of the most talked about, read about and thought about subjects.
DANIEL ALAN KENNEDY
citizen media
eastern & central europe
elections
english
politics
protest
runet echo
russia
russian
Zhukovsky, a mid-sized city just 40 kilometers outside Moscow famed for its aerospace industry, last weekend became the site of a bitterly contested mayoral election, which was marred by reports of electoral fraud and vote-buying. The election was prompted last January, when mayor Aleksandr Bobovnikov resigned at the behest of the acting governor of the Moscow Region, Aleksandr Vorob'yov.
In the last year, Zhukovsky has witnessed a grass roots protest movement [ru] to protect the local Tsagovsky forest, after local authorities stripped it of protected status in order to construct a new road. The local reaction and protests [photo album], which include clashes with police and riot troops, have surprised the authorities, ultimately leading Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to intervene personally [ru] on the side of the protesters. Having drawn much of their inspiration and public support from the better-known environmentalist movement to protect Khimki Forest [en], many consider the protests to have been instrumental in removing Bobovnikov, who allegedly lost his post due to “the loss of the inhabitants’ confidence” and “the instability of the socio-political situation” [ru].
Eleven candidates appeared on the ballot, including Sergei “The Spider” Troitsky. Troitsky is the leader of legendary Russian metal band Korroziya Metalla [en] and had previously stood in the October 2012 mayoral election in Khimki. The real contest, however, was between the nominally independent Andrei Voityuk (a former official in the Ministry of Emergency Affairs with strong links to Vorob'yov and Shoigu) and Igor Novikov (a member of “opposition oligarch” Mikhail Prokhorov's “Civic Platform”).
The election itself was marred by suspicion and tension long before anyone went to the polling stations. Novikov's campaign website suffered a DDoS attack on March 23, 2013. A week later, activist Ilya Yashin tweeted a picture [ru] of an official notice forbidding any photo- or video-recording by anyone but “representatives of the media”:
Despite the presence of these monitors (or perhaps because of it), within hours of polls opening, videos emerged online purporting to show widespread, organized vote-buying on behalf of Voityuk. In the video below, posted by the independent Russian electoral rights group GOLOS [en], people are seen queueing to have papers with the name “Aleksandr [sic] Petrovich Voityuk” stamped by two young women.
The two women report that they are merely “taking note” of the proceedings and that “everything is being done officially,” but seem ill at ease when questioned. When the camerawoman asks those in line if they were “promised any kind of reward,” however, an elderly man in a hat leans forward and replies “of course.” When asked what he was promised, he replies “one thousand roubles” (roughly thirty U.S. dollars).
A similar video posted by youtube user Alex Flaxman showed a large queue outside a local vehicle inspection center.
Moving towards the front of the queue, the cameraman asks several users how much money is being given out. Several reply that they too were promised 1,000 roubles. At the very front, the cameraman asks a man in a leather jacket if there is any sort of pass needed to receive money. The man removes from his wallet a copy of the same paper with the name “Aleksandr Voityuk” seen in the first video. He informs the cameraman that it was given to him by “United Russia.”
The liberal blogosphere reacted angrily to the reports of electoral fraud and to the news that Voityuk had been declared the winner of the election. The next day “в Жуковском” (“in Zhukovsky”) trended on Twitter in Russia and worldwide. User Sapojnik, in a LiveJournal post titled “1000 Roubles for a Vote,” wrote:
But the main lesson from the Zhukovsky election is that over a year on since the Bolotnaya Protests [en] (probably the high water mark of the protest movement) the opposition has yet to make much of a dent in Russians’ widespread political apathy. Indeed, the official turnout in Zhukovsky was a mere 37.6% [ru]. Given the choice between the opposition and the elite, most voters chose simply to stay home.
In the last year, Zhukovsky has witnessed a grass roots protest movement [ru] to protect the local Tsagovsky forest, after local authorities stripped it of protected status in order to construct a new road. The local reaction and protests [photo album], which include clashes with police and riot troops, have surprised the authorities, ultimately leading Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to intervene personally [ru] on the side of the protesters. Having drawn much of their inspiration and public support from the better-known environmentalist movement to protect Khimki Forest [en], many consider the protests to have been instrumental in removing Bobovnikov, who allegedly lost his post due to “the loss of the inhabitants’ confidence” and “the instability of the socio-political situation” [ru].
Eleven candidates appeared on the ballot, including Sergei “The Spider” Troitsky. Troitsky is the leader of legendary Russian metal band Korroziya Metalla [en] and had previously stood in the October 2012 mayoral election in Khimki. The real contest, however, was between the nominally independent Andrei Voityuk (a former official in the Ministry of Emergency Affairs with strong links to Vorob'yov and Shoigu) and Igor Novikov (a member of “opposition oligarch” Mikhail Prokhorov's “Civic Platform”).
The election itself was marred by suspicion and tension long before anyone went to the polling stations. Novikov's campaign website suffered a DDoS attack on March 23, 2013. A week later, activist Ilya Yashin tweeted a picture [ru] of an official notice forbidding any photo- or video-recording by anyone but “representatives of the media”:
Избирком официальным (!) решением запретил наблюдателям съемку на выборах в #Жуковский. Жулики. Совсем охамели.
The electoral commission has officially (!) forbidden observers from taking photos at the elections in #Zhukovsky. Swindlers. Completely egregious behavior.While Zhukovsky has only about 80,000 registered voters, in order to ensure the election went ahead peacefully, the authorities brought in 600 police [ru] from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while an estimated 1,000 independent electoral observers [ru] monitored the proceedings.
Despite the presence of these monitors (or perhaps because of it), within hours of polls opening, videos emerged online purporting to show widespread, organized vote-buying on behalf of Voityuk. In the video below, posted by the independent Russian electoral rights group GOLOS [en], people are seen queueing to have papers with the name “Aleksandr [sic] Petrovich Voityuk” stamped by two young women.
A similar video posted by youtube user Alex Flaxman showed a large queue outside a local vehicle inspection center.
The liberal blogosphere reacted angrily to the reports of electoral fraud and to the news that Voityuk had been declared the winner of the election. The next day “в Жуковском” (“in Zhukovsky”) trended on Twitter in Russia and worldwide. User Sapojnik, in a LiveJournal post titled “1000 Roubles for a Vote,” wrote:
На самом деле никто во власти, конечно же, не собирался устраивать никакие «честные выборы». Наоборот: эти выборы руководством МО и даже, возможно, АП воспринимались как выборы «выставочные», «Химки-2». Жуковским власти хотели продемонстрировать urbi et orbi, что они полностью контролируют электоральную ситуацию и что «оппозиция не имеет никаких шансов».
Basically no one in power, of course, planned on staging any kind of “honest election.” On the contrary, the leadership of Moscow Oblast and even, perhaps the Presidential Administration took these elections to be “staged.” A “Khimki Part 2.” The Zhukovsky authorities wanted to demonstrate urbi et orbi that they are in full control of the electoral situation and that “the opposition doesn't stand a chance.”In a Facebook post, Mikhail Fishman drew similarly depressing conclusions from the election:
Первый: выиграл Войтюк. Второй: нам показали, как “Единая Россия” (или ОНФ) будет выигрывать выборы в Думу. Третий: барьера против фальсификаций, обмана, жульничества любого рода больше не существует. Now it's official.
Firstly: Voityuk won. Secondly, they've shown us how “United Russia” (or the All-Russian People's Front [Putin's new social coalition]) will win the Duma elections. Thirdly, the barrier against falsification, fraud, [and] swindling of any variety no longer exists. Now it's official.Twitter humorist KermlinRussia reacted to the reports with characteristic levity:
На выборах в Жуковском Единая Россия не стала воровать голоса избирателей и честно скупила их.
In the elections in Zhukovsky United Russia has stopped stealing the votes of the electorate and purchased them honestly.Not everyone was content to lay the blame solely with the authorities. Some faulted the opposition for failing to win in a city home to a highly educated workforce that has long been a hotspot of anti-Kremlin sentiments. Writing on Twitter, opposition Duma Deputy Ilya Ponamarev pointed the finger at the protest movement's disunity:
В #жуковский все, как всегда – два главных оппозионера не договорились, взяли 30% и 25%, в итоге побеждает единоросс с 35%. Доколе?
In #zhukovsky it's business as usual – the two main oppositionists [Novikov and Communist candidate Andrei Anikanov] took 30% and 25% with the result that United Russia wins with 35%. When will it end?Similar accusations were leveled by Twitter user iphone_mitko, who faulted the opposition for lackluster campaigning:
Кстати, #Химки и #Жуковский очень яркие примеры беспомощности “оппозиции”. Кричать и митинговать – да. Работать “на земле” – ноль.
By the way, #Khimki and #Zhukovsky are excellent examples of the helplessness of the “opposition.” Shouting and demonstrating – sure. Working “on the ground” – zip.Such well-documented voter fraud shows that “managed democracy” (where the ruling elite uses its administrative resources to ensure desired electoral results) continues to be the defining characteristic of the Russian political process. If anything, that process has become cruder and more obvious in the last two years. The election also shows that the United Russia brand may be becoming a liability for the elite, as Voityuk ran as an independent, despite strong links to party figures.
But the main lesson from the Zhukovsky election is that over a year on since the Bolotnaya Protests [en] (probably the high water mark of the protest movement) the opposition has yet to make much of a dent in Russians’ widespread political apathy. Indeed, the official turnout in Zhukovsky was a mere 37.6% [ru]. Given the choice between the opposition and the elite, most voters chose simply to stay home.
Written by Daniel Alan Kennedy · comments (0)
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper
Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper
READ THE WHOLE STORY
· · · · · ·
This Week Columnists: Would Puerto Rico be better off without the Jones Act? Read: http://ow.ly/jOnBl#caribbeanbusiness
Power y Giralt’s remains back in PR
The 200-year-old remains of a Puerto Rican hero arrived on the island Saturday a ...
  |
This post has been generated by Page2RSS
 Arizona Republic |
April book pick: Rita Moreno's dark memoir
Arizona Republic “Before then, I had never really felt any connection to the Hispanic community. We don't ... Among the mysteries in her life: Her mother brought her to New York from Puerto Rico at age 5, leaving behind the actress' younger brother, Francisco. The ... |
St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the United States, pays tribute Saturday to Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon (1460-1521), who discovered Florida in 1513.
Venezuelan authorities raided late Thursday the home and office of what they say is a local representative of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., the brokerage subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings Inc., for allegedly violating foreign-exchange regulations.
