Dear friends,

If we were to post our vacancy on the news agency websites it would read along the lines ‘Open Elections’ (an Open Russia project) – vacancy – leader – search.

And that’s how it is.  We are looking for a leader.  A leader in chief who will ensure that there are no more election results with a 146% turnout as there was in the 2011 election.

We will stay in this mode. Job description: ‘Open Elections’ was launched on the eve of the 2015 regional campaign, but always with an eye on the big pre-election race of 2016. Coordinated by Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr, who started the project, ‘Open Elections’ helped to ensure quality observation of the September voting in the Kostroma and Novosibirsk regions. The authorities also appreciated the project’s work, as the police managed to summon enough enthusiasm for the raid on our Kostroma office.

Now we have the State Duma election ahead of us. This will be work of a completely different scale, and the possible opposition will be more serious too. Unfortunately  Vladimir Kara-Murza is still recovering from his illness abroad and his return to Russia for active (in his case always hyperactive) work has been deferred. This leads us to conclude that each of his potential successors will have one of the main interviews for the job by remote means, e.g. Skype.

Mission statement: We are working to advance the time when the Russian government changes regularly as a result of routinely free and fair elections.

The candidate must:

• – have as lively an interest in elections as that which galvanised the active section of society in 2011, since when he will have managed in some way to prove his mettle. You talk, we listen;
• – have exceptional organising ability (or he will simply not survive the job); and
• – understand that our answer to Mr Churov and company at the Central Electoral Committee has to be asymmetrical: their methods are dim-witted (refusal to register candidates) or the usual tricks (carousel voting and stuffing the ballot box) or based on past practice (we’ll hole up in the Lenin Room and rewrite the results). But what should their opponents be doing? Will you be able to make an effective dent in their tough shell?  You talk and we, once more, listen.

Professional competence and personal qualities required from the candidate:

• – experience in standing up for his own and other people’s rights;
• – a deep knowledge of election technology; and
• – an active approach to life combined with stamina and a very healthy pragmatism

Job advantages: sooner or later the candidate will make the acquaintance of Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

The rest is still being discussed, and discussed and…..

Our contact numbers (in Russia):

8-800-775-49-74

+7-495-204-17-14

https://openrussion.org/contacts/

PS If you know someone who you think would be a suitable candidate, please pass this advertisement to him.  Thank you.

‘Open Elections’ project