Russian election swept by Putin's party

[Fash]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071203/D8T9VK2O0.html

MOSCOW (AP) - European election monitors said Monday that Russia's parliamentary ballot was unfair, hours after President Vladimir Putin's party swept 70 percent of the seats in the new legislature.

The victory paves the way for Putin to remain Russia's de facto leader even after he leaves office next spring. On Monday, Putin described the weekend's election as a vote of confidence in him.

"I headed the United Russia ticket and, of course, it's a sign of public trust," Putin said in televised remarks.

Sunday's vote followed a tense Kremlin campaign that relied on a combination of persuasion and intimidation to ensure victory for the United Russia party and for Putin, who has used a flood of oil revenues to move his country into a more assertive position on the global stage.

Opposition leader Garry Kasparov denounced the legitimacy of the vote.

"There are no illusions that what is being called elections was the most unfair and dirtiest in the whole history of modern Russia," the former chess champion said at a news conference.

Kasparov, who heads the Other Russia coalition of opposition groups, was arrested and jailed for five days for leading a protest rally in Moscow on Nov. 24. His group wasn't allowed to run for parliament.

Luc van den Brande, who headed the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said that officials had brought the "overwhelming influence of the president's office and the president" to bear on the campaign, and that "administrative resources" had been used to influence the outcome.

Goran Lennmarker, president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's parliamentary assembly, said it was "not a fair election."

The Kremlin and its allies hailed the vote as an overwhelming endorsement of Putin and his policies.

"The vote affirmed the main idea: that Vladimir Putin is the national leader, that the people support his course, and this course will continue," party leader and parliament speaker Boris Gryzlov said after exit polls were announced.

The Bush administration called for an inquiry into voting irregularities. Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov called the election "the most irresponsible and dirty" in the post-Soviet era and party officials vowed to challenge the results.

Kimmo Kiljunen, vice president of the Office of Security and Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, called the elections "strange" and "problematic" because of reports of harassment of parties and confiscation of election materials.

"There was the strange situation that the executive branch almost chose the legislative branch," Kiljunen said. "It is supposed to be the other way round."

With ballots from nearly 98 percent of precincts counted, United Russia was leading with 64.1 percent, while the Communists trailed with 11.6 percent, the Central Election Commission said.

Turnout was about 63 percent, up from 56 percent in the last parliamentary elections four years ago.

United Russia's victory would give it 315 seats, or 70 percent of the seats in Russia's 450-seat State Duma, the Central Election Commission said. The Communists would have just over 50 seats.

The Kremlin portrayed the election as a plebiscite on Putin's nearly eight years as president - with the promise that a major victory would allow him somehow to remain leader after his second term ends next year.

Putin is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third consecutive term, but he clearly wants to remain in power even though he has ruled out changing the constitution to allow him to run for another term as president. A movement has sprung up in recent weeks to urge him to become a "national leader," though it's not clear what that would mean.

Two other pro-Kremlin parties - the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party and populist Just Russia - also appeared to have made it into parliament, with 8.2 percent and 7.6 percent of the vote, respectively.

Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB officer and chief suspect in the poisoning death of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in London last year, will serve as deputy from the Liberal Democratic Party. Russia has refused to hand Lugovoi over to Britain, and the Duma seat provides him with immunity from prosecution.

No other parties passed the 7 percent threshold for gaining seats in the legislature. Both opposition liberal parties were shut out, expected to win no more than 2 or 3 percent of the vote each.

Many Russians complained Sunday about being pressured to cast their ballots, with teachers, doctors and others saying they had been ordered by their bosses to vote.

"People are being forced and threatened to vote; otherwise they won't get their salaries or pensions," said Boris Nemtsov, leader of the liberal Union of Right Forces party.

Dozens of voters reported being paid to cast ballots for United Russia, said Alexander Kynev, a political expert with election monitoring group Golos. In the town of Pestovo in the western Novgorod region, voters complained they were given ballots already filled out for United Russia, he said.

In Chechnya, where turnout was over 99 percent, witnesses reported seeing election authorities filling out and casting voter ballots in the suburbs of the regional capital, Grozny.

There was a tense, subdued mood at some polling stations. Yelena, a 32-year-old manager in St. Petersburg, refused to give her last name out of fear of official retaliation for voting for the liberal Yabloko party.

"We live in a country with an absence of democracy and freedom of speech," she said.

The Kremlin appeared determined to engineer a resounding victory. But Putin, credited with rebuilding Russia after the poverty and uncertainty of the 1990s, has support from many Russians.

"Today everything is clear and stable in life. The president's words always coincide with what he does. As for the other candidates we don't know yet where they would take us to," said Raisa Tretyakova, a 61-year-old pensioner in St. Petersburg.

The Bush administration called on Russia to investigate claims the vote was manipulated.

"In the run-up to election day, we expressed our concern regarding the use of state administrative resources in support of United Russia, the bias of the state-owned or -influenced media in favor of United Russia, intimidation of political opposition, and the lack of equal opportunity encountered by opposition candidates and parties," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the National Security Council.

The election monitoring arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, regarded in the West as the most authoritative election monitor, canceled plans to send observers.

[Nick]

Absolutely disgusting.

[Ashur]

I'm just glad Hugo "Why don't you shut up" Chavez's power-grabbing constitution rewrite in Venezuela got shot down.

Not that he won't try again after a few years after going after his opposition-base Putin-style.

[Leonaerd]

At least, in a situation like this, you know it was rigged and you can cast hate at someone. I highly doubt over there that the loser of the popular vote could have a chance at getting elected as easily as they can in America.

[Keverian FireCry]

At least, in a situation like this, you know it was rigged and you can cast hate at someone. I highly doubt over there that the loser of the popular vote could have a chance at getting elected as easily as they can in America.

At least in the US the incumbent has a legitimate chance of winning. If the US ran elections the way Russia did you wouldn't even be complaining because you'd be far too influenced and/or brainwashed by government propaganda and fear tactics. I'll take the mildly unfair electoral college over a soon-to-be fascist state any day of the week(not to say we aren't leaning that way ourselves).

Bush and Putin are both fucked up, but at least we are guaranteed that Bush will be gone soon.

[Leonaerd]

At least, in a situation like this, you know it was rigged and you can cast hate at someone. I highly doubt over there that the loser of the popular vote could have a chance at getting elected as easily as they can in America.

At least in the US the incumbent has a legitimate chance of winning. If the US ran elections the way Russia did you wouldn't even be complaining because you'd be far too influenced and/or brainwashed by government propaganda and fear tactics. I'll take the mildly unfair electoral college over a soon-to-be fascist state any day of the week(not to say we aren't leaning that way ourselves).

Bush and Putin are both fucked up, but at least we are guaranteed that Bush will be gone soon.

All very true, but when it came down to it what percentage of Americans actually voted for Bush in office? 20% or something?

[pyrella]

Andre Baptiste Sr.: Welcome to Democracy!
Yuri Orlov: Democracy? What have you been drinking Andy?
Andre Baptiste Sr.: Heh, you have not seen the news. You know, they accuse me of rigging elections. But after this -
[holds up a newspaper with the headline "U.S. Supreme Court Reverses Recount Ruling"]
Andre Baptiste Sr.: - with your Florida and your Supreme Court of Kangaroos, now, the U.S. will shut up forever!
[laughs]

[Fash]

Looks like his buddy is going to be President, and he's going to take Prime Minister (and possibly usurp all the power)

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin told a party congress Monday that he would accept the prime minister's post if his longtime protege is elected president, guaranteeing Putin an ongoing heavyweight political role in Russia.

Ending speculation that he had another surprise up his sleeve in this tumultuous election season, Putin also said he would not—as had been widely expected—seek to strengthen the post of prime minister at the expense of Russia's powerful presidency.

Putin last week said First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was his choice for the presidency, ensuring support by Putin's United Russia party. A day later, Medvedev said if he were elected president, he would offer Putin the prime minister's job.

"If the citizens of Russia show trust in Dmitry Medvedev and elect him the new president, I would be ready to continue our joint work as prime minister, without changing the distribution of authority," Putin said. Later, the party nominated Medvedev as its candidate.

Putin's promise Monday to accept the premiership from Medvedev puts what looks like the last piece of Russia's leadership puzzle in place.

Medvedev, 42, is seen as a moderate technocrat rather than a Kremlin hawk. He seems certain to win the March 2 presidential contest, thanks to Putin's endorsement.

Putin, with approval ratings above 80 percent, has consolidated power during his nearly eight years in office by extending government control of the media and nominally independent institutions such as the courts and parliament.

Despite Putin's pledge not to undermine Medvedev, many analysts expect the center of power to shift from the presidency to the prime minister's post if and when Putin assumes the office.

Putin has insisted for years that he would relinquish power once his second presidential term ended. The constitution limits presidents to two consecutive terms.

But as Putin's retirement date approached, he seemed to have second thoughts. In November, he said a victory in parliamentary elections by United Russia would give him the "moral authority" to ensure that his policies are continued. The party won the Dec. 2 vote with an overwhelming majority of seats.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said it was "an internal political decision that the Russians are going to have make," adding that she anticipates U.S.-Russian relations will stay strong.

"As to who will be their president and their prime minister, that will be for them to decide," she said.

Speaking at the meeting of the United Russia party, which won 70 percent of the seats in parliament, Putin once again called for voters to elect Medvedev as president.

"I will not be ashamed or afraid to turn over the levers of control over the country—the fate of Russia—into the hands of such a person," said Putin, 55, in a hall decorated with the white, red and blue colors of the Russian flag.

Later, Putin looked on sternly from the podium as Medvedev accepted the nomination, and the younger man promised would follow the blueprint that Putin has drafted for Russia. And the best way to do that, he said, would be with Putin serving as head of his cabinet.

"The full implementation of this strategy is possible only together with its author, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin," Medvedev said.

While Putin vowed in his remarks not to try to usurp power from his former aide, Medvedev stressed Putin's continuing influence over Russian affairs.

"I don't have the slightest doubt that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, in the future, will keep using his enormous political and professional resources, his influence both in our society and in the world, for the benefit of Russia and its citizens," he said.

The relationship between the two men is sometimes described as similar to that between a father and son.

Putin's acceptance of Medvedev's offer came amid reports of infighting between different factions in the Kremlin, led by rival figures tied to Russian intelligence and security agencies.

Some analysts say Putin is the only figure capable of preventing the government from fracturing into rival camps of these powerful figures.

Monday's announcement came a few days after Putin led a delegation to the neighboring Belarus, to discuss long-stalled plans for a merger of Russia and the former Soviet republic. Those talks apparently made little headway.

Some analysts say Putin plans to accept the prime minister's post only as a temporary measure. If Medvedev were to step down, Putin could—under the constitution—run again.

Medvedev, married with one son, is a trained lawyer who first caught the attention of Russia's future president in 1990 when both worked in St. Petersburg's city hall. For most of the next 17 years, he served as one of Putin's most trusted aides.

Talks about re-uniting the USSR?.... This is new....

[Boogahz]

It has actually been discussed for a while now. This is also one reason why there was all of the skepticism about the last major elections in Russia which I believe you posted the story about. It would almost be worse than allowing Bush to be appointed as Secretary of State after the next election...I only say almost because I think it would be easier to boot a Secretary of State than a Prime Minister. When I think of the moves of Putin, I cannot help but think about how Hitler moved into power also. Not that I believe Putin is anywhere near that level of bad.

[Bagar-]

technocrat

=



+


?