United Russia, the party that has been ruling Russia for many years, failed to poll as much as 50% of the popular vote in the December 4 Parliamentary elections, according to this and many other news stories.
United Russia, the party that has been ruling Russia for many years, failed to poll as much as 50% of the popular vote in the December 4 Parliamentary elections, according to this and many other news stories.
That 50% is probably grossly inflated. Here is a nice overview of how the Russian political establishment has effectively and crudely managed the vote:
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/the-dirtiest-elections-in-post-soviet-history/449079.html
The oppositions parties, such as they are, have been copted to participate more or less in the charade of elections.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/4-duma-parties-in-pact-source-says/448997.html
But will still have a majority. Early reports suggested they’d only hold onto 220 of the 450 seats, but now turns out it’ll be 236. Still convenient for United Russia.
In fairness, assuming Russian elections are ‘fair’ despite various degrees of intimidation and bribes, United Russia has dropped back to its near-2003 levels before changes in this system to a Party list PR system in 2005.
Sorry that’s 238 rather than 236.
For a highly troubling account of Putin’s machine and the postmodern dictatorship, have a look at this study of Putin’s chief ideologue and grey cardinal, Vladislav Surkov.
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v33/n20/peter-pomerantsev/putins-rasputin
A very FEW things are needed to save civilization – in ALL regimes.
P.R. — ALL legislative body elections
nonpartisan App.V – executive/judicial offices
SHORT terms of office — preferably at most ONE year terms.
SEPARATION OF POWERS
—-
What regime has ALL of such things ???
Putin should just have himself crowned as Tsar and Autocrat of All The Russias and be done with it. The Putin Dynasty… has a certain ring to it.
Putin — any meaning in Russian ???
Putin — any relation to Rasputin ??? — the mad monk in World War I controlling the Russian Czar’s family — producing the 1917 commie regime and about 100 million DEAD humans since.
I really don’t understand how this loss of one-quarter of their total support (the last election in 2007 gave them a two-thirds majority in the parliament) is seen as evidence of their continued “iron fisted dictatorship”? I though such regimes never lost elections?