RUSSIA: United Russia senior officials say the parliamentary election results show support for President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and claim the election was fair

Record ID: 336410

  • Title: RUSSIA: United Russia senior officials say the parliamentary election results show support for President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and claim the election was fair
  • Date: 6th December 2011
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (DECEMBER 5, 2011) (REUTERS) UNITED RUSSIA SENIOR OFFICIALS ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SECRETARY OF UNITED RUSSIA GENERAL COUNCIL PRESIDIUM, SERGEI NEVEROV, SAYING: "The main result of the election campaign (shows) that people have, once again, voted for the policies of the country's president - the leader of our
  • Embargoed: 21st December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8VXVYTLS0XRXHKI7PTENFQMVR
  • Story Text: Officials from Russia's ruling party on Monday (December 5) said parliamentary elections were fair, and that the results reflected the wishes of Russian voters.
    Vladimir Putin's ruling party clung to a much reduced majority in parliament on Monday (December 5) after an election that showed growing weariness with the man who has dominated Russia for more than a decade and plans to return to the presidency next year.
    "The main result of the election campaign (shows) that people have, once again, voted for the policies of the country's president - the leader of our election list - Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev and the head of the government - the leader of our party - Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, and for today's policies of United Russia," United Russia General Council Presidium Secretary Sergei Neverov announced at a news conference held by the ruling party.
    Russia's Central Election Commission said United Russia was set to lose 77 seats in the State Duma and end up with 238, a slim majority in the 450-member lower house in what is the biggest electoral setback for Putin since he rose to power in 1999.
    "The number of violations couldn't affect the choice (made by voters) during the election. As for the so-called casting of additional (fake) ballots or reported 'carousel' voting (multiple voting by same people at various polling stations), we have a procedure of making formal complaints, of registering and reporting violations to the Central Election Commission. From what we know from the comments by the Central Election Commission, there were no such appeals," Neverov said.
    European monitors said the field was slanted in favour of Putin's United Russia and the vote marred by apparent manipulations including ballot box stuffing.
    Some of United Russia's political opponents have said the ruling party's official result -- just under 50 percent of the vote -- was inflated by fraud.
    The leader of the Communist Party, on target to increase its representation from 57 to 92 seats, said the election was the dirtiest since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
    "All of the seven political parties presented their programs actively, actively participated in the political (TV) debates, actively used their time that they bought on television to speak and to present their proposals and ideas and they got the level of support they expected, respectively. Maybe they expected to get more (support), but they got what they got," Neverov said.
    International observers added weight to opposition claims that the election was unfair from the start because of authorities' support for United Russia with cash, influence and television air time.
    "We certainly believe that our opposition are not our enemies, but those who have another opinion. And if this opinion is substantial and coincides with ours, then why don't we make some joint decision, after we discuss it? " United Russia Executive Committee head, Andrei Vorobyov said.
    Although Putin is still likely to win a presidential election next March, Sunday's result could dent the authority of the man who has ruled for 12 years with a mixture of hardline security policies, political acumen and showmanship but who was booed and jeered after a martial arts bout last month.
    Many voters, fed up with widespread corruption, refer to United Russia as the party of swindlers and thieves and resent the huge gap between the rich and poor. Some fear Putin's return to the presidency may herald economic and political stagnation.
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