The regional and municipal votes across the country were set to gauge the popularity of the ruling United Russia Party amid anger at rising prices and unemployment after the global crisis ended 10 years of rapid economic growth.A repeat of widespread violations reported by the opposition in regional elections last year could boost a series of anti-government protests on March 20, six days after the poll.
Around 32 million of Russia’s 110 million registered voters were eligible to vote in polls, which include elections for eight regional parliaments. Opposition parties predicted a low turnout by voters disillusioned by a tightly controlled process.
The elections come half way through Medvedev’s four year term as he struggles to demonstrate progress on a pledge to loosen the tight control of the political system introduced during Vladimir Putin’s eight years in the Kremlin.
Despite a series of relatively liberal speeches by Medvedev, analysts have struggled to point to any significant deviation from policies introduced by Putin, now prime minister and dominant partner in Russia’s ruling “tandem.”
Accusations of voting violations were so widespread in a Moscow city council vote last October -- overwhelmingly won by United Russia -- that three usually loyal opposition parties walked out of parliament in a rare public protest. They were coaxed back by Medvedev’s promise of a fairer vote this time. Golos, Russia’s largest independent election monitoring body, said it has seen no sign that Sunday’s elections would be an improvement.
