The Moscow electoral commission has registered 233 candidates for September’s election of 45-seat council, it said on Wednesday, the vast majority of them members of parliamentary factions loyal to Vladimir Putin’s administration.
One-fifth of prospective candidates were turned away, however, mainly due to alleged problems meeting a draconian requirement for supporting signatures. Candidates not from a parliamentary party must gather the signatures of 3 per cent of all voters in their district, or about 5,000 people, within a three-week period.
The signature line is too high, of course. But the cuteness comes in the other bit. If you’re part of a party in Parliament then you’ve not got to meet that test. Which makes it very difficult to have a new party bubbling up from the grass roots. Which, in the view of those running the system is great. Especially as they rather control who manages to get into Parliament.
Cute way of doing it. Not fair, just or anything, just cute.
The Electoral Commission has registered 233 candidates for September’s election to the UK Parliament, it said on Wednesday, the vast majority of them members of parliamentary factions supportive of remaining in the European Union.
Suddenly, with the removal of the name ‘Putin’, it doesn’t sound so sinister, does it? In fact, FBPE types would be harrumphing at the former and not even notice the latter.
EU isn’t any different, Commission is pushing for funding to be denied for any groups or MEPs considered to be anti-EU
eg Lib-Dem MEPs receive pay, grants etc TBP MEPs receive nothing.