Putin’s ‘minority’ party will have to share power

Russia: Vladimir Putin's ruling party yesterday heard a chorus of jeers from the Russian media after early results showed that United Russia was winning less than half the vote in polls marred by claims of fraud. “The minority party,” liberal business daily Vedomosti said acidly on its front page.

“The ruling power will have to look for partners,” added Kommersant broadsheet. United Russia won a humiliatingly low 49.79 percent of the vote, the central election commission said yesterday in results based on over 90 percent of polling stations, losing the so-called “constitutional majority” it needs to change the constitution unchallenged.

The outcome marks a major reversal from the last parliamentary elections in 2007 when United Russia secured a landslide majority of 64.3 percent and won 315 seats in the lower house of parliament, the 450-seat State Duma.

AFP