The term “populism” should not be trivialized. It is much more than a mere word used to disqualify political opponents, as it sabotages democratic institutions from the inside out. It is an ideology in which a leader or movement claims to be the only one with the legitimacy to bring power back to the people and defeat the elites. In it, anything goes in the name of power, including sacrificing democracy itself, and this is what happened in Russia.
When he assumed the presidency of Russia almost 22 years ago, the former agent of the KGB, the Russian secret service, had a very different speech than he does today. He presented democracy as an indispensable and fundamental value, as the main purpose of politics. Putin said that “only a democratic state is capable of guaranteeing the balance of the interests of the individual and society, combining private initiative with national objectives.” However, his speech began to change in 2012, after the Bolotnaya Square Protests, which demanded more transparent elections.
If in the first years of the Russian Presidency the word “democracy” appeared multiple times in his speeches, from 2013 onwards, the term practically disappeared from his vocabulary and was replaced by the expression “popular approval” – and it is in this context that the primer populist came on the scene. Populists around the world have claimed to act according to the “will of the people” to legitimize any attitudes, however harmful they may be, so that their actions are not questioned. But what kind of will is this, if the people is it plural?
According to the current Russian Constitution, the country is still a democracy, but very different from the one defended by Putin in his first years in office. Putin poisoned, imprisoned and silenced opponents, took control of the press and invested heavily in state propaganda to maintain his popularity. His last big push, before the invasion of Ukraine a week ago, took place in 2021, when he passed a law that will allow him to remain in power until 2036. In other words, he dismantled democracy from the inside out, always with the same justification: he was just carrying out the will of the people.
The Russian President’s actions make it more than clear: Putin is against democracy. Ukrainian integration into NATO or the “denazification” of the country were just pretexts to invade Ukraine and show the Russians the fragility of the democratic system. While Ukraine was far from a perfect democracy – with endemic corruption and attacks on journalists – its electoral system was virtually free. And for Putin, it is crucial that the Russian population does not start to question the current electoral system itself by taking inspiration from the system of a neighboring country that clearly allows the transition of power. For the Kremlin, having a functioning democracy nearby is dangerous, which is why it was so important to invest in the invasion.
There is no doubt that the ultimate goal of populism is perpetuation in power. The democratic erosion carried out in Russia has also taken place in other parts of the world. The Russian government’s actions were yet another reminder of how democracies must be preserved and protected. Institutions must be respected and citizens must be aware of the hidden objectives behind the speeches of those who are so critical of the current system, however imperfect they may be. Democracy must never be relativized in the name of a project of power or ideology. Unfortunately, this is what happened in Russia, and this is what can happen elsewhere. Let’s stay tuned!
*Uriã Fancelli Baumgartner is the author of the book “Populism and Denialism: the use of denialism as a tool for maintaining populist power”, prefaced by Ambassador Rubens Ricupero
know more
+ Omicron: Unexpected symptom of infection in children worries medical teams
+ Mercadão de SP vendors threaten customers with fruit scam
+ Video: Mother is attacked on social media for wearing tight clothes to take her son to school
+ Horoscope: check today’s forecast for your sign
+ What is known about fluorone?
+ Trick to squeeze lemons becomes a craze on social media
+ ‘Monster Ichthyosaur’ is discovered in Colombia
+ One twin became vegan, the other ate meat. Check the result
+ See which were the most stolen cars in SP in 2021
+ Expedition identifies giant squid responsible for ship sinking in 2011
+ US Agency warns: never wash raw chicken meat
#Putin #relativization #democracy #ISTOÉ #MONEY