Nina Zakharkina–Berezner - How Independent Candidates are Resisting Autocracy in Municipal Elections

Unbroken: How Independent Candidates are Resisting Autocracy during the  Moscow Municipal Elections. Moscow held its municipal elections last  weekend, and the event received an unusual amount of attention from the  world’s media. There seems to be an unprecedented level of public  criticism of Putin, but it’s coming from the local municipal level and  not from the parliament, the Duma. More than 40 local elected officials  across Russia signed a two-sentence petition last Monday that ended with  the statement: “We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the  post of president of the Russian Federation”. Today I am exploring who  these local council representatives are, and what risks they are taking  by speaking out.   Nina Zakharkina–Berezner is a political expert and researcher with a  focus on Russian domestic policy, international advocacy, and human  rights. She is a Board Member of the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, and  Co-Founding Director of the Podcast CIVIUM. She has previously been an  Advisory Council Member for Rights in Russia, and a Researcher for the  Human Rights Centre “Memorial”.