Civil Network OPORA, the leading Ukrainian organization for monitoring election processes, invites you to a discussion “The threat to democracy or how authoritarian regimes attack through the use of the tool of elections and referendums”. The event will take place on September 27 at 3:30 p.m. in the Meeting Room 5 (Opera) within the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.
Russia's military aggression on the territory of Ukraine goes far beyond just a military confrontation between two countries. It is about the confrontation of civilizational approaches. Ukraine consistently defends democracy against the pressure of autocracies and dictatorships. However, Russia attacks Ukraine not only with weapons but also by using propaganda under the guise of democratic institutions.
Russia had already organized fake referendums in Crimea and Donbas and planned to continue discrediting the democratic system through abuse of form. In 2014, this ended with the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, and today part of the newly occupied territories of the South and East of Ukraine are under threat. And these days Russia is organizing the same on the newly occupied territories, the reaction to these events cannot be as weak as in 2014.
Moreover, authoritarian regimes often abuse the form through electronic voting, and manipulate public opinion through social networks and reduced competition during elections.
Date: September 27, 3:30 p.m.
Place: Opera Hall, Sofitel (within the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference)
Speakers:
- Olga Aivazovska, Head of the Board, Civil Network OPORA and co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory;
- Harald Hartvig Jepsen, International Senior Adviser, IFES Ukraine.
This side-event is organized by Civil Network OPORA and International Centre for Ukrainian Victory. Light refreshments will be provided by the organizers.
