Referendum is a democratic and fair procedure, expert asserts

Sergei Musiyenko, the Director of the EcooM Analytical Centre, shares his views on historical significance and unprecedented nature of the upcoming nationwide referendum

"A special significance of the referendum – as a form of declaration of the people’s will – is that it is a direct, democratic and very fair procedure: people express their opinion in person rather than by proxy – like, for example, in the United States: people’s voices are not heard there. It is valuable and significant: the support of the President’s policy provided in this way, the definition and approval of the future make it possible to gain a footing to move further – which was observed as a result of all previous referenda,” Mr. Musiyenko says.

The expert continues, “We will use the responsibility and common sense of the past plebiscites. The fact is that all of us – including the Central Election Commission – rely on the accumulated experience that we are thinking over and creatively developing. For example, our common sense enables us to approach many issues differently: i.e. the lists of election commission members will not be announced publicly. This new norm rooted in the practice of life aims to ensure that people are not subjected to pressure or some kind of insults coming from abroad. We have faced this and have seen the first manifestations; a response immediately followed – that was very calm and clear, I wish to emphasise. The same approach will be applied in other situations as well.”

“The current global situation is forcing us to act in this way. We are observing the coercion to war by the media – that is being exercised by the United States and the UK in relation to the Russian Federation and our country in order to get the fact of the invasion of Ukraine. The military escalation in Ukraine, as well as Poland and Lithuania, is forcing us to be combat-ready and very attentive. Aggression towards us may occur under cover. It should be noted that we are very calm; we clearly envisage these possibilities. It is the same with attempts to destabilise the situation before and during the referendum; they will certainly be observed. The President has warned about this, and the Central Election Commission knows this. All authorities are clearly and calmly working through the scenarios to resist possible provocations – most unexpected and vile."