Elections: Absenteeism, Boycotts and the Class Struggle
IN FOCUS, 26 Jun 2017
Prof. James Petras – TRANSCEND Media Service
19 Jun 2017 – The most striking characteristics of recent elections is not who won or who lost, nor is it the personalities, parties and programs; rather the dominant fact is the widespread repudiation of the electoral system, electoral campaigns, parties and candidates.
Across the world, majorities and pluralistic, of citizens of voting age, refuse to even register (unless obligated by law); refuse to turn out to vote, (abstain); or vote against all the candidates (boycott).
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James Petras is a Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York. He is the author of more than 62 books published in 29 languages, and over 600 articles in professional journals. He has a long history of commitment to social justice, working in particular with the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement for 11 years. In 1973-76 he was a member of the Bertrand Russell Tribunal on Repression in Latin America. He writes a monthly column for the Mexican newspaper, La Jornada, and previously, for the Spanish daily, El Mundo. He received his B.A. from Boston University and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Go to Original – petras.halaine.org
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