Russian Election is a Joke

As it has been expected by everyone, polls conducted by Russian state-controlled companies show President Vladimir Putin's party winning more than 60% of the vote in parliamentary elections. The communist party was running with about 12% of the vote and other parties followed.

Critics also note that "United Russia" was the only party allowed to campaign on national television.

Earlier Sunday, after opposition leader Garry Kasparov cast his vote, he accused the ruling party of, in his words, "not just rigging the vote, but raping the whole electoral system."

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Elections without choice in Russia

There is no doubt that Vladimir Putin's party (United Russia) will win an overwhelming majority in Russia's parliamentary election on Sunday but non in a democratic way.

State-run media brainstorms people to vote for president and United Russia. State employees being pressured to vote at work or to fund United Russia and even of schools encouraging parents to do their patriotic duty and back the president.

"Elections without choice", commented the New Times, an independent political weekly, above an article illustrated by a Soviet-style poster urging the masses to back Putin.

"The old Soviet mentality is alive and well and people are returning to their former ways," echoed political analyst Georgy Bovt in a newspaper article.

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Police Break Up Anti-Putin protesters in Russia

There no fredom of speech in Russia and there is still many people arrested for political reasons.

Many of opposition activists were arrested by police Sunday as they tried to rally against President Vladimir Putin's government in central St. Petersburg.

Demonstrators were chanting "Russia without Putin!" "What we are seeing now in St. Petersburg resembles a military operation," said Olga Kurnosova, a coordinator of the Other Russia coalition of opposition groups that organized the rally. "It shows the authorities' fear."

Opposition activist Daria Makukhina said that several party activists running for parliament in next Sunday's vote were beaten and detained.

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Pro-Kremlin parties dominate in a fake Russian Democracy

Pro-Kremlin parties, including United Russia (a party that supports President Vladimir Putin), have won Russian regional elections, preliminary results showed yesterday, after a campaign that left Russia's weak opposition more marginalised than ever.

Pundits had predicted that government parties, buoyed by a strong economy, Kremlin-controlled media, generous funding and Mr Putin's popularity, would sweep the vote.

Critics of the Kremlin say the opposition, in retreat since Mr Putin's first presidential win in 2000, never had a real chance.

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