Foreign Digest: Russia and South Africa

Russia: The United States and its Western and European Allies boycotted the inauguration of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin last week because the long-time ruler’s re-election was not free and fair. Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer intent on restoring the Soviet Union, was elected in 1999, but has used authoritarian means to govern as a tyrannical autocrat, using elections in which only parties and candidates who do not criticize him are allowed to participate to provide an appearance of legitimacy. Human rights supporters, journalists and opposition leaders are routinely imprisoned, exiled or murdered and certain basic freedoms are not tolerated. The European Union announced last week that it will use 90% of the Russian funds it has frozen for military aid to Ukraine to help defend it against Russian aggression and for humanitarian and reconstruction needs. Russia continues to advance its military forces in Ukraine until the defensive aid approved by the United States last month arrives. It had been delayed for several months by isolationist and pro-Russian Republican Representatives led by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, despite strong bipartisan support. Russia invaded the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine in 2014, despite recognizing Ukrainian independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. South Africa: A diverse alliance of opposition parties in South Africa has formed a bloc called the “Multi-Party Chapter (MPC)” to challenge the long-ruling leftist African National Congress (ANC), which has ruled with the Communist Party since the end of apartheid in 1994. The bloc is formed by the leading centrist party, the Democratic Alliance, which earns support from mixed-race people and Whites, especially Afrikaans and English speakers, and which leads in Western Cape, the third largest Province; a right-wing Afrikaans party; the conservative Inkatha Freedom Party, which is the party of the Zulu tribe, the second largest in South Africa and which is the leading opposition party in KwaZulu-Natal, the second-most populous Province; and a newer party led by the ex-mayor of Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa and the capital of the third largest of the nine Provinces. The racially and ethnically diverse coalition is united around free market principles and adherence to the constitutional principles of liberty and representative government. South Africa has suffered corruption and economic inefficiency. The ANC remains the most popular party, but for the first time does not enjoy a majority of support in the polls. Two other left-wing parties have splintered from it, thus opening the door to the possibility of a coalition government between either the ANC and one of its bitter rivals on the left, or with the Democratic Alliance, or even of a government coalition among the MPC bloc. Similar blocs of opposition candidates challenged in recent years authoritarian rulers in Hungary and Turkey with strong showings, despite the challenges, and are currently contesting the elections in Venezuela and India.