28/09/2026 President | Elections | Political Affairs and Democracy
Participants in a parliamentary round table on the topic Fake ‘elections’ in Russia: what next? analysed the recent so-called “elections” to the Duma, but also looked beyond them to a future democratic Russia.
The event, organised by the PACE Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces in co-operation with PACE's Political Affairs Committee and its Parliamentary Alliance for Free and Fair Elections, took place on the first day of the Assembly’s Autumn plenary session in Strasbourg, livestreamed via its YouTube channel.
In an introduction, Russian political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann asked whether these “elections” mattered, why the regime bothered to hold them at all, and how successful its operation had been. The picture was mixed, she said: “The results are there, the system has not snapped, it is delivering. But the smooth façade, so dear to the heart of any autocracy, has not been preserved. It’s been ugly, it’s been messy, it’s been inconclusive.”
PACE President Petra Bayr, wrapping up the event, reiterated that these so-called “elections” were not elections at all, and the Duma was not a legitimate body, representing the will of the people. But she added: “I really believe in a post-Putin Russia, a different one that is built on our values and core principles. The day will come… when it will come nobody knows, but we will be prepared.”
The Platform was created to enable two-way exchanges between Russian democratic forces in exile and leading members of the Assembly on issues of common concern.
