JERUSALEM: Ethnic Russians in Israel cast their vote in Russia's presidential election saying the result matters to them and that they want to support relatives and friends they had left behind in their home country

Record ID: 327722

  • Title: JERUSALEM: Ethnic Russians in Israel cast their vote in Russia's presidential election saying the result matters to them and that they want to support relatives and friends they had left behind in their home country
  • Date: 5th March 2012
  • Summary: RUSSIAN TELEVISION ON THE SCREEN
  • Embargoed: 20th March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jerusalem, Jerusalem
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: International Relations,Quirky,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA991T7OVWZYUJQTFV24PJP8X89
  • Story Text: In Israel, members of the expatriate Russian community turned up at polling stations set up across the country to cast their votes in Sunday's (March 4) presidential election.
    Israel has the largest concentration of Russian and ex-Soviet citizens in the world except for the so called near abroad -- countries of the former Soviet Union. Immigrants from Russia and the former Soviet republics make up about 20 percent of Israel's seven million population.
    Jerusalem and other cities in Israel are full of Russian groceries, shops and newspapers that cater to Russian immigrants. There are Russian radio stations and a TV Channel.
    Some 160,000 of the million plus Russian speaking community in Israel have retained their Russian citizenship and are eligible to vote.
    In Jerusalem, at one of the 13 polling stations set up for Russian citizens in Israel, voters gave a mixed picture: some said the current prime minister and the main presidential contender Vladimir Putin had proved he could rule Russia while others said they wanted a new leader.
    "I voted for Prokhorov because he is a better leader and even if he doesn't win this time he will certainly will the next elections. My sons who live in the Khabarovsk region, in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, they also voted for Prokhorov," Konstantin Shein a dual Russian and Israeli citizen said.
    Some said they wanted to express their opposition to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's bid to return to the Kremlin.
    "All my friends are out there at Sadovye Koltso wearing white ribbons," said Yana Barash, referring to the venue of anti-Putin protests in Moscow.
    Yana arrived to Israel from Moscow in November last year to join her husband. Holding her two-month-old son, David, Yana said she wanted to vote to show support for her friends.
    "I am with them in my thoughts. I came here today to express my opinion hoping that my vote matters. I want my opinion to matter, that's why I came. Who did I vote for? I voted for Prokhorov thus supporting my friends. This is my choice. I want changes."
    But Putin, credited by many Russians with rebuilding the country's strong image and overseeing an economic boom in his first presidency has many supporters among members of the Russian expatriate community in Israel.
    Just a few blocks down the road from the polling station, located in the heart of Jerusalem, several hundred metres from the Old Town walls is a venue where expatriate Russians can talk politics in familiar surroundings.
    Putin Pub, popular among Russian speaking residents of Jerusalem has walls full of photos of the Russian prime minister and presidential hopeful. One photo shows Vladimir Putin as a young officer, another has him in his judo outfit. There is blaring Russian music and Russian TV on the screens.
    Groups of Russian, Ukrainian and former Soviet republics immigrants seem to be unified in their opinions of the bar's namesake.
    "No doubt Putin will win. We are sitting here in the Putin Pub and I think I can say we all support him," said Roma, a 19-year-old dual Israeli and Russian citizen, adding that Putin's victory was not in doubt against four rivals who offer little competition.
    Putin looks on course to win more than 50 percent of the votes on Sunday, avoiding a runoff that could have undermined his claim to lead the whole nation.
    Danilo was was thirteen when he moved to Israel from Novosibirsk, a city in Siberia. Now, at 19 he says he respect Putin for giving the country its dignity back.
    "Putin made the country get up from its knees. All the time he has had power the country developed/ I lived in the country (Russia) when Putin came to power and I saw for myself how it developed, I saw it in my parents' lives. I respect him for making the country get up from its knees and I want him to be the president," Danilo said.
    Victory is almost certain for Putin, a ruler lionised by state television and running against a cast of four politicians who, apart from tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov, have all made their careers by losing elections to the Kremlin.
    But growing voter fatigue with Putin has unsettled Russia's elite of officials, former spies and billionaire businessmen: Putin's self-portrayal as the anchor of Russian stability hinges on his popularity.
    Putin had to fight a tough campaign after initially misjudging the significance of the biggest protests of his 12 years in power.
    The protests were sparked by a disputed Dec. 4 parliamentary election, but the anger was focused against Putin who bungled the Sept. 24 announcement of his presidential bid by appearing to inform Russians that he would rule for another six years.
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