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Electoral Campaigns in Times of Lockdown: Post-Soviet Experiences

2023; Routledge; Volume: 75; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09668136.2022.2159015

1465-3427

Victoria Leukavets, Andrey Makarychev, Giorgi Beridze,

European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies

AbstractThis article aims to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon electoral campaigns in a fragile democracy (Georgia) and two illiberal polities (Belarus and Russia). It covers the period of time from March to December 2020, focusing on several critical junctures in each country: for Belarus, the 9 August 2020 presidential elections; for Russia, the 1 July 'people's vote' and the cycle of regional elections in September 2020; and for Georgia, the 31 October 2020 parliamentary elections. The article argues that COVID-19 did not diminish citizens' demands for fundamental norms of electoral democracy and policy transparency; in fact, it increased political mobilisation within all three countries. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 'Healthcare Minister: Targeted Approach Helps Curb Coronavirus in Belarus', Belarus.by, 25 March 2020, available at: https://www.belarus.by/en/press-center/speeches-and-interviews/healthcare-minister-targeted-approach-helps-curb-coronavirus-in-belarus_i_0000110369.html, accessed 27 December 2020.2 'New Belarusian Meme: What Will Lukashenko Say When I Die?', JAM News, 7 April 2020, available at: https://jam-news.net/belarusian-meme-what-would-lukashenko-say-if-i-died/, accessed 3 January 2021.3 'Kampanya ByCovid19 zakonchilas! Volontery sobrali rekordnie dlya RB $335,000 medikam', Onliner, 27 June 2020, available at: https://people.onliner.by/2020/06/27/sobrali-rekordnye-335-000-na-pomoshh-medikam-i-rasxodyatsya, accessed 12 January 2021.4 'Golos Platform Presents the Final Report on the Presidential Election', VoiceofBelarus.com, 20 August 2020, available at: https://www.voiceofbelarus.com/golos-final-election-report/, accessed 15 January 2021.5 'Zdorov'e dorozhe—perenos regional'nikh vyborov vozmozhen iz-za pandemii koronovirusa', Novye Izvestiya, 7 April 2020, available at: https://newizv.ru/news/politics/07-04-2020/zdorovie-dorozhe-perenos-regionalnyh-vyborov-vozmozhen-iz-za-pandemii-koronavirusa, accessed 2 December 2022.6 'Gosduma prinyala zakon o golosovanii po pochte', RBK, 13 May 2020, available at: https://www.rbc.ru/society/13/05/2020/5ebc076d9a79471022607742, accessed 4 December 2022.7 'V gostyakh: Vladimir Pastukhov', Svoboda, 26 December 2020, available at: https://echo.msk.ru/programs/year2020/2762278-echo/, accessed 7 January 2021.8 'Minister's Apologies', Rustavi 2, 14 May 2018, available at: https://rustavi2.ge/ka/news/103960, accessed 10 January 2021.9 'The COVID Situation in the Country is Getting Worse and the Government is Thinking About Making Money Even in These Conditions—Giorgi Vashadze', Netgazeti, 16 October 2020, available at: https://netgazeti.ge/news/489948/, accessed 11 January 2021.10 'Archil Talakvadze—The Action of the "National Movement" was Extremely Shameful and Irresponsible, they Sacrificed People because they did not Respect Elementary Rules', 1TV.ge, 18 October 2020, available at: https://1tv.ge/news/archil-talakvadze-nacionaluri-modzraobis-aqcia-iyo-ukiduresad-samarckhvino-da-upasukhismgeblo-mat-gawires-adamianebi-vinaidan-ar-daicves-elementaruli-wesebi/, accessed 12 January 2021.11 'Activity at 20:00: 2020–56.11%; 2016–51.63%; 2012–60.8%', Formula News, 31 October 2020, available at: https://formulanews.ge/News/38862, accessed 14 January 2021.12 'How Do We Vote During The Pandemic?', Tabula, 26 October 2020, available at: https://tabula.ge/ge/news/655719-archevnebi-2020-rogor-vadzlevt-khmas-pandemiis, accessed 14 January 2021.13 'All Assessments of the 2020 Parliamentary Elections from the West', Tabula, 1 November 2020, available at: https://tabula.ge/ge/news/656351-2020-clis-saparlamento-archevnebis-qvela, accessed 20 January 2020.14 'Georgia, Parliamentary Elections, 31 October 2020: Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions', OSCE ODIHR, 1 November 2020, available at: https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/georgia/469005, accessed 20 January 2021.Additional informationNotes on contributorsVictoria LeukavetsVictoria Leukavets, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies, Swedish Institute of International Affairs, Drottning Kristinas väg 37, Stockholm 114 28, Sweden. Email: victoria.leukavets@ui.seAndrey MakarychevAndrey Makarychev, University of Tartu Faculty of Social Sciences, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, Lossi 36, Tartu 51003, Estonia. Email: andrey.makarychev@ut.eeGiorgi BeridzeGiorgi Beridze, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Chavchavadze Street, 1, Tbilisi 0128, Georgia. Email: beridzegigi@gmail.com