Putin Loyalists Win; Monitors Decry Vote

MOSCOW - Allies of President Vladimir Putin won a sweeping victory in parliamentary elections, but human rights officials condemned the vote Monday as short of international legal requirements and a retreat from Russia's democratic reforms.

With more than 98 percent of the vote counted, United Russia — a pro-Putin party led by Cabinet ministers — won 37.1 percent, leaving its rivals far behind, Central Election Commission Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov said at a news conference.

The Communists were next, with 12.7 percent, followed by the party of flamboyant nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky — the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia — at 11.6 percent. Homeland, a new, apparently Kremlin-approved patriotic grouping formed to syphon votes from the Communists, had 9.1 percent, preliminary results showed. Smaller parties accounted for the remaining percentages.

Putin, speaking on television, called the elections "another step in strengthening Russia's democracy."

But international observers delivered a blistering assessment of the vote, calling it free but not fair. Taxpayer money and state television was used to benefit a few parties, monitors said in their criticism.

The head of the parliamentary assembly for the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe, Bruce George, told reporters at a news conference that the ballot "failed to meet ... international standards."

"Our main impression of the overall electoral process was ... one of regression in the democratization of this country," he said.

He expressed concern that, because of the use of administrative resources and the biased media, legitimate democratic opposition parties would not get the 5 percent of the vote they need to enter parliament.

The Bush administration joined European officials in expressing concern about the fairness of the elections.

"It was the OSCE which monitored the elections, and they expressed concerns about the fairness of the election campaign. We share those concerns," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

"We support Russia's continued efforts to press ahead with both political and economic reform, building those institutions of democracy that are important to free and democratic states, such as a free press, political parties, respect for the rule of law," McClellan said.

He said he hoped Russian lawmakers would now "press ahead on a reform agenda and support the United States-Russia partnership."

Russia's two main liberal parties, Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces, known by its Russian acronym SPS, were below the 5 percent minimum.

Voter turnout appeared lower than past elections, with many Russians disillusioned and uninspired by the generally lackluster campaign. Two hours before polls closed, turnout was 47.6 percent, significantly lower than the 53.9 percent recorded at the same time during the last Duma vote, in 1999.

Nearly 5 percent of the electorate — or about 2.8 million people — voted to reject all candidates. The protest votes mean that in four constituencies, run-off elections must be held, election officials said.

United Russia's winning more of the 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower parliament house, should make it easier for Putin to push through market-oriented economic reforms he has promised and to cut the bureaucracy that stifles Russian growth.

It would also give Putin a stronger hand as he heads into what seems sure to be a second term after the presidential ballot next March.

"The United Russia party has won, the president has won. That means that democratic reforms in Russia will continue. This is a serious victory we can rightly be proud of," said Lyubov Sliska, a top figure in United Russia.

Kremlin critics, however, fear too much power for Putin could prompt a drift closer to authoritarianism.

Nikolai, a 54-year-old entrepreneur in Moscow who gave only his first name, said he did not vote for United Russia "because the state is in danger: the danger of single-party rule."

Analysts said United Russia and its allies were angling for a two-thirds majority required to make constitutional changes — a lever they could use to extend Putin's term or let him run for a third term, provided the pliant upper parliament house, Russia's regional legislatures and the president himself approve.

The surprisingly strong showing by the ultranationalist Zhirinovsky's LDPR might also help the Kremlin. In the outgoing Duma, the LDPR almost always voted the Kremlin line despite Zhirinovsky's fiery statements and populist politicking.

The chief of the liberal SPS, Boris Nemtsov, expressed alarm at the strong showings by United Russia and the nationalist parties, suggesting they will act together to tighten government control over the economy and society.

"The majority will belong to those who stand for a police state, for curtailing civic freedoms, for shutting down independent judicial authority" and for antagonistic relations with Russia's neighbors and the West, Nemtsov said on television.

Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov dismissed the elections as a "disgusting show ... that has nothing to do with democracy." The head of the Communists' Moscow branch, Alexander Kuvayev, claimed widespread violations in the capital, including ballot-box stuffing and votes cast for dead people.

He vowed the party would protest what he said were falsified results, the Interfax news agency reported.

Half the Duma seats will be distributed proportionately among the parties winning more than 5 percent of the nationwide vote, while the other 225 seats will be filled by the winners of individual district races, who may or may not be affiliated with a party.

The full extent of the Kremlin's power over the Duma will not be clear until after results from the district races — and the allegiance of independent deputies — is known.

Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles after voting at the parliamentary elections in Moscow, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2003. The main party supporting President Vladimir Putin led rivals by a large margin in Russia's parliamentary elections Sunday, according to partial preliminary results, suggesting the president would easily win the solid majority he needs to put his firm stamp on a country still setting its course for the future after seven decades of Soviet rule. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks while his wife Lyudmila listens at a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Moscow, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2003. The Russian leader and his wife Lyudmila, rose early to cast vote at a research institute in Moscow. He said it was 'the most important event of the day.' He looked surprised, however, when asked who he voted for. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)

If Russians don't care to vote, why should I?

Apparently, Russians like to be ruled by authoritarian leaders. Free press, equal access of all parties to the media, and independent judiciary are not major concerns for the average Ivan; they have other more pressing concerns such as getting food, staying warm, and hating the 'oligarchs.'

Of course, the above is the impression I get by reading these Western media reports. I have no idea what the real situation is on the ground.

Russians had their first taste of 'democracy' from Boris Jeltsin and they didnt like it. A few well placed individuals like Berezovsky and Khordovsky to name a few raided the crown jewels of their natural resources and all 'democracy' brought them was poverty and misery with a few ridiculously rich theives at the top in cohorts with the likes of Soros and Clinton.

Putin has their interests in mind more than the previous 'democrats' and if you dont believe that look at opinion polls in Russia.

It kills me that the US government(I am a US citizen) is trying to paint this election as a fraud just because Khordovsky is in jail and wont sell 40% of Yukos to Exxon.

It kills me that the US government(I am a US citizen) is trying to paint this election as a fraud just because Khordovsky is in jail and wont sell 40% of Yukos to Exxon.

Blood/oil is thicker than water.

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