Primers - what is it? Where and when did the primaries appear?

Democracy is a thing that sometimes carries an interesting terminology. Among the new phenomena for Russia are primary or primary elections. In the Western manner they are called primaries. What are primary elections? Are they compatible with Russian realities?

Definition

The term "primaries" (primaries, "primary") has two interpretations. Firstly, this is a vote in which voters identify a single candidate from a political association (usually a party), a municipal district or another territorial or structural unit of a lower rank than the one in which the official will be elected at the next stage. For example, a person who won the primaries in his municipal district (part of the city) may then become a candidate for the mayoral election of the city. Secondly, this is a preliminary, "rehearsal" voting, which is not considered official. But it can, for example, determine the favorites of the present or help citizens decide on the future choice.

Primaries - a fairly new phenomenon for Russia, but it is quite typical for the United States. Americans, using this democratic tool, determine candidates for elected positions in local government. Through a preliminary vote, the majority of candidates for the post of President of the United States passes.

Primary in the election of the President of the United States

Primaries - what is it for an ordinary American? First of all, this is a phenomenon connected with the election of the US President. The election of the head of the American state by the population is essentially a choice between the two parties - Republican and Democratic. National elections are preceded by a pre-election stage in which the candidate from each party is determined. The main idea here is that candidates who have similar political views and program content do not elect electoral voices from each other at the main stage. By the way, there are precedents when people who lost in the primaries, however, were nominated in the presidential elections, but in the status of non-party people.

Primary elections in the US are of two types - open (when any citizen can vote) and closed (only members of the party have the right to vote). The first primaries in the United States were held in the 19th century. At first they were an optional stage of the presidential election, but by 1927 in every state laws had been passed, according to which the presidential race could not be held without an initial vote. In the US, very different formats of primaries, depending on the state. Somewhere in the primary elections only those who indicate belonging to this party can vote for a candidate from a particular party. In other states, everyone has the right to vote.

Primaries in Russia

What is a "primaries", in Russia knows not so many people. But more and more citizens are getting acquainted with this phenomenon recently. In the summer of 2014, primaries were held for elections to the Moscow City Duma. Residents of the Russian capital have the opportunity to express their attitude towards candidates for the post of deputies of the city's legislative assembly.

This stage of the election was unofficial, but became, in the opinion of a number of political scientists, an important step forward in the area of building democratic relations between the government and the people. In the Moscow primaries, voted 250 thousand residents of the capital. In 16 districts, the current Moscow City Duma deputies won. But in the remaining 29, representatives of different statuses and professions won, for example, employees of budget institutions, doctors. Stars of variety and show business participated in elections.

Criticism

The main thesis of the people, referring to the primaries critically, is this: Russians are not sufficiently well informed about the essence of this stage of voting. "Primary? What is it? Did not hear!" - this is what, in the opinion of critics, the typical response of a citizen will appear. In particular, during the primaries in Moscow, some residents of the capital were sure that they were present at the present elections of deputies. In addition, as some experts note, after the primaries, the electorate has ceased to perceive many candidates as party candidates. If, for example, he sympathized (and did not know what the primaries were) United Russia, then after a preliminary vote, he could get the impression that the candidate acts independently of the party. Other critics note a very low turnout in the primaries, which may indicate a lack of interest of citizens. As an example, the figures for the same Moscow elections are given: in spite of the predicted figure of the turnout of 700 thousand people, the polling stations were several times fewer. According to some politicians, this means that Muscovites do not have confidence in the primaries, that such an event can not be put on a par with official elections. At the same time, critics believe, the result could have been better if the organizers had conducted a campaign in advance to inform residents of the city about this stage of the elections.

Positive assessment

There are experts who respond to the preliminary elections in a positive way. What are their counterarguments to critics? Primers - what is it? Why does this phenomenon deserve the praise of experts? The main thesis of the supporters of the piety regarding preliminary elections is that voters get an opportunity to get acquainted with candidates in advance, to study their profile and values.

Deputies who participate in the primaries, analysts believe, will have an advantage over those who considered it necessary to ignore this stage of the election - recognition. For example, when there will be an official vote for candidates for the Moscow City Duma, those deputies who came to the city's parliament last time but were not known to the Muscovites can cede their mandates to those who positively showed themselves to the citizens in the primaries. As a result, experts believe, the democratic character of elections will increase, political competition will increase. Primary elections in Mosgorodum, thereby, gave citizens the opportunity to understand the essence of the primaries, what it is and why it is needed.