Rare group selfie of the US Congress, waiting impatiently for Thomas Massie to just leave :p

"No less important, the authorities need the election results as a barometer of current public preferences, something even the most accurate opinion polls or in-depth sociological research cannot replace. Contemporary Russia undoubtedly has its own, albeit relatively narrow, political spectrum of “systemic opposition” parties reflecting the differing interests and expectations of various social, economic, age and regional groups. The constantly changing balance of power between these parties must, one way or another, be taken into account by the authorities when determining the future priorities of their strategy."

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/9/19/russias-elections-are-more-than-political-theatre

Excellent article, and not merely applicable to Russia's "Representative Democracy".

Russia has become what the West used to be. They can't "vote out" their oligarchs or win serious policy reversals any more than we ever could, but they can win personnel changes, handouts, and empty gestures.

Russia arrived at "Representative Democracy" just as the party is winding down - many Western countries' ruling classes today are looking to suppress and criminalise popular dissent instead of letting it vote. Britain today notoriously jails more citizens for unapproved memes than China, Russia and Turkiye combined, and this in peacetime.

#democracy #russia