December 3, 2007 (LPAC)--The United Russia party, running with President Vladimir Putin at the head of its slate and "Vote for Putin's Plan" on its posters, swept yesterday's elections for the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Its 64% result was close to United Russia's aim of matching Putin's own popularity rating of 70%. The voter turnout was 60%. Contrary to predictions that only one other party would cross the recently raised 7% threshold for entering the Duma as a parliamentary bloc, three parties did so. With 98% of the vote counted, the showings were:
United Russia - 64.1%
Communist Party of the Russian Federation - 11.6%
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (Vladimir Zhirinovsky) - 8.2%
A Just Russia (Sergei Mironov) - 7.8%
Federation Council Speaker Mironov, who has styled his new party as a loyal opposition, and has even called for Putin to seek a third term as President, started talking last night about joining with the CPRF as a "left bloc" in the Duma. No other party got more than 2.5% of the vote. The liberal parties Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces were in the 1 to 2% range. These groups did not get enough votes to pass even the previous threshold for entering the Duma, which was 5%. Some even smaller entities, such as the United Civil Front of Wall Street Journal columnist Garry Kasparov, did not qualify for the ballot.
No doubt, there was heavy pressure from local governments in many provinces to deliver a big vote for United Russia. Communist Party leader Gennadi Zyuganov charged that CPRF votes were twice as high as reported, but were diverted to the LDPR and A Just Russia. But the overall high support for the party that Putin allowed to raise his banner was indisputable, making the vicious attacks on Putin as an anti-democrat, which came today from the European Union and other quarters, appear to many people in Russia as simply an attack on their country.
Another change in the election procedures has pushed the Duma in the direction of more homogeneity. This time the entire Duma was elected by party slates, rather than half the deputies having to win as individual candidates in their districts. Yet, despite the appearance of the election result as an overwhelming referendum in favor of Putin and United Russia, tension remains high on the Russian political scene--and is a palpable distraction, in leading Russian circles, from the pressing world strategic situation presented by the monetary system breakdown.
The main announcements lie ahead. Who will run for President? United Russia promises to reveal its candidate by December 17. What will Putin do? Individual members of United Russia have floated schemes such as the institution of a new "National Leader" position. So far, however, United Russia chairman and Speaker of the Duma, Boris Gryzlov, said in his Sunday evening press conference that United Russia does not intend to seek changes in the Constitution that would allow such innovations, or to directly permit Putin to run for a third term.
