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Title: Abstention Author: Alfredo M. Bonanno Date: 1985 Language: en Topics: voting, Elections, Insurrectionist Theory Source: Translated in November 2020 from Alfredo Bonanno, “Dissonanze: Seconda edizione riveduta, corretta e ampliata”: https://www.edizionianarchismo.net/library/dissonanze#toc13 Notes: Originally published on “Anarchismo” n. 46, April 1985, p. 2 with the title “Elezioni: cambiare per restare identici” (“Elections: to change is to stay the same”).
We’ve always been against elections. Of every shape and nature.
Political, local, zone-based elections; union elections, school
elections, etc.
Taking part in elections means that you’re “delegating”, namely that
you’re surrendering yourself to other people’s hands. Most people are
manipulated by ideological programs and easy words. Anarchists have
never been laboring under this misapprehension.
Those who participate in power become themselves power. Because there
isn’t an optimal management of power. There is a better and a worse
management, but from the depth of a dictatorship to the (apparently)
golden surface of a tolerant democracy, the exploited always end up
obeying, making sacrifices and accepting the class system hoping that
their rulers will make some concessions to them.
From every political perspective, under any color or program, the
exploited are forced to fall on their knees, to say yes. To subvert this
state of things we must change perspective. I’m not talking about a
different choice, but a different perspective. We don’t need new
programs, different men or parties; what we need is that people, the
exploited, the workers, the unemployed, women, students – in short, the
great majority of the people, — decide to take the matters regarding
their future into their own hands. Basically, we need to deny delegation
and apply direct action. Of course, these are just nice words, which, by
the way, anarchists repeat every time there’s an election. Not voting is
not enough. That’s right. The traditional abstention, even the anarchist
one, even the absolute and constant abstention, is not enough. It’s a
platonic instrument that only in particular historic moments, when we
are faced with extreme contradictions from capital and the State, can
cause a concentration of antagonistic forces. Otherwise, when the
situation is more or less stable and power proceeds with regular
political and administrative adjustments, abstention from voting creates
only an ideal dissent.
We need to make a step forward. We’ve already talked about this many
times, but I realize that this is a very difficult conversation. Many
comrades believe that the problem of abstention is detached from the
continuous process of recuperating consent which, in a democratic order,
is common practice. Take for example the opinion campaigns, the usual
posters, the usual flyers that spring up and then disappear every time
power reaches the end of its term.
I think we can summarize a few points for study in order to develop a
more coherent and, above all, more efficient approach to abstention:
educational, zonal, medical, etc...
deadlines.
propose alternative solutions on a local basis by putting pressure from
the outside, in each consultative reality.
of struggle, self-management and the principle of permanent struggle.
specific anarchist movement.
neighborhoods).
(militarization of the territory, the prison system, nuclear energy,
ecology, essential services, healthcare, occupation, productive choices,
culture, etc.).
To the person reading these words, please don’t attribute us more
possibilities and less intelligence than we have. Ours is just a
research proposal. We are fully aware that, for the time being, we can’t
go further, but we think it’s useful to, at least, propose a step
forward regarding the stasis of traditional abstention.