Russians vote for parliament, Putin’s future
Russians voted yesterday in a parliamentary election expected to hand
President Vladimir Putin’s party a crushing majority and boost his bid
to retain authority after leaving the Kremlin.
Polling stations opened in a wave across the world’s biggest country,
starting on the Pacific coast and reaching the capital Moscow at 0500
GMT, following an election campaign overshadowed by accusations of
rigging in favour of Putin’s United Russia party.
Eleven parties were participating but opinion polls predicted United
Russia would win at least two thirds of seats in the 450-seat State Duma,
with many others going to Kremlin-friendly parties, and pro-Western
liberals winning no seats at all.
Putin, who is required by the constitution to step down at the end of
two terms next year, heads United Russia’s candidate list. He said that
victory Sunday would give him a “moral mandate” to influence government
after he leaves, fueling speculation that the ex-KGB officer intends to
retain power.
United Russia have cast the elections as a referendum on Putin’s
rule, saying that a vote for the party would safeguard the country’s
oil-driven economic boom and stability.
Putin, accused by his few remaining open critics of sliding toward
dictatorship, is widely popular with Russians who have benefited from
huge revenues for Russian energy exports at a time of sky-high oil and
gas prices.
“I’ll vote for United Russia. They’ve done a good job, everything is
getting better,” said Vladimir Babikov, a 19-year-old conscript sailor
shifting to keep warm in the biting breeze as he queued to vote near
Vladivostok harbour.
Polls also show that many Russians would support Putin staying on in
power, although analysts say this popularity is partly the result of the
Kremlin’s control of television.
“I’m not worried Putin has to step down,” said Alexander Boiko, a
52-year-old plumber, after voting for United Russia in a Vladivostok
polling station overlooking the Sea of Japan. “He’s part of United
Russia and they’ll still be there so what’s the difference.”
Opposition forces, ranging from liberals to the Communists, accuse
the Kremlin of suppressing debate during the campaign by dominating
television coverage on state media, confiscating their election leaflets
and arresting activists.
Former chess champion turned Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov, who spent
five days behind bars last week for taking part in an unauthorised
protest against Putin, dismissed the elections as a “farce.”
Alexei Gutkin, a voter in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky over 6,000
kilometers (3,700 miles) and nine time zones east of Moscow, described
United Russia as “a return to the Communist Party.”
Election watchdog organisations have voiced concern over allegations
that voters have come under pressure from authorities to turn out and
vote for United Russia.
Early turnout figures were up slightly from 2003 parliamentary polls
in several regions in the far East, the Interfax news agency reported.
Moscow, Sunday, AFP |