WASHINGTON - Sham elections - votes in which incumbents intimidate opponents, control the media, and stuff ballot boxes - will not produce the stability leaders promise to foreign governments or the democracy their own peoples seek.Instead, such elections almost inevitably have the effect of reducing public confidence in political institutions, radicalizing the opposition, and forcing governments which use such votes to claim legitimacy to rely on force to maintain themselves.And that pattern itself represents a vicious cycle that is likely to generate even greater instability in the short ...
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