Russia, Democratic or Not Essay Example for Free

Russia, Democratic or Not Essay Russia should be considered a semi-democratic country. They have the characteristics of a democratic country, yet at the same time they dont. For example, they have freedom of speech but to an extent. As shown in a round table discussion show thats been on air for years. But, its only good things are spoken about the government and Putin. Also they can vote and what not but the government tries to rig it. Another example is that people may oppose the government, but may not publicize it widely. A show of this would be like the man that broadcast his ideas about the government on the radio, but he is only aloud to at on station. Any other station has him blacklisted. So not many people hear his ideas. Another problem is there freedom to assemble. They can do this but only with the permission of the government. Also they sometimes pay kids to participate in rallies that oppose anyone against the government and Putin. And lets not forget about the private owned businesses because these are essential. In Russia businesses can be privately owned to an extent plus they can choose what to sell and how much, also they decide who they hire. Also, the Russian Federation confirms a citizens right to state healthcare and medical assistance free of charge. Citizens do not pay for this but instead companies and government subsidies do. Plus the health care is poor. They may have well trained doctors but indecent equipment. This is a helping cause in the reason why the death rate is higher than the birth rate. The life expectancy is also low. These are all signs of a semi-democratic country.