Golos, Russia's Only Nationwide Election Monitor, Shuts Down After 25 Years
After 25 years of defending voter rights, the all-Russian civic movement Golos is shutting down. The organization's closure follows the conviction of its co-chair, Grigory Melkonyants, for his involvement with an international election monitoring group. Golos' shutdown leaves a significant void in Russia's election monitoring landscape.
Golos was the sole nationwide movement professionally tracking elections in Russia. It trained observers, produced educational materials, and documented violations. The platform, Election Violation Map, allowed citizens to report issues. Without Golos, citizens may struggle to defend their ballots, and the space for civic participation in the regions will shrink. Golos' closure also means the loss of an independent narrative on elections, from post-Soviet democracy's birth to the present.
Golos' work included publishing monitoring results, assessing election legitimacy, and highlighting recurring issues like opposition candidate exclusion and pressure on public-sector employees. Its effectiveness in cross-city coordination and drawing people into civic life will be missed. Activists may now fear open action in areas like election monitoring due to criminalisation of promoting free elections.
Golos' shutdown, following its co-chair's conviction, leaves Russia without a professional, independent election monitoring body. Citizens, activists, and opposition face challenges in defending their rights and participating in civic life. The loss of Golos' expertise and narrative on elections is a significant blow to Russian democracy.
