RUSSIA: Russian top leaders supporting the ruling party and their main opponents - the Communists - campaign for the last day ahead of Sunday parliamentary vote
Record ID:
346427
RUSSIA: Russian top leaders supporting the ruling party and their main opponents - the Communists - campaign for the last day ahead of Sunday parliamentary vote
- Title: RUSSIA: Russian top leaders supporting the ruling party and their main opponents - the Communists - campaign for the last day ahead of Sunday parliamentary vote
- Date: 3rd December 2011
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (DECEMBER 2, 2011) (REUTERS) ( * BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF THE MOSCOW DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION BUILDING COMMUNIST PARTY PROTESTERS SIGN READING IN RUSSIAN 'CLEAN ELECTIONS' PROTESTERS HOLDING SIGNS PROTESTERS' BACKS COMMUNIST PARTY PROTESTERS UNDER A BILLBOARD FOR LIBERAL PARTY YABLOKO CLOSE UP UP YABLOKO CAMPAIGN BILLBOARD COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER GENNADY ZYUGANOV ENTERING ROOM AND SITTING AT TABLE AUDIENCE LISTENING ZYUGANOV STANDING AND TALKING INTO MICROPHONE CLOSE UP OF WOMAN LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER GENNADY ZYUGANOV, SAYING: "The next year will be the most important battle for the education law. And the elections on the fourth (of December) will be the elections of the fate of the country, of your children and grandchildren for the minimum of ten years, or, as for the education, - for 20 years to come. (Education law) can not be redone every five years." AUDIENCE LISTENING ZYUGANOV LEAVING AUDIENCE CLAPPING
- Embargoed: 18th December 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Russian Federation
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA62NK05DRTS6YLLKDK09GWUHA4
- Story Text: The country's ruling tandem, supporters and protesters spent Friday (December 2) campaigning in Russia, the last day of campaigning before Russians vote in parliamentary elections on Sunday (December 4).
Prime MInister Vladimir Putin visited the Baltiisky shipyard in St. Petersburg, where he oversaw the signing of a seven billion ruble ($2.2 million) contract for the yard and Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation. The two companies will build hulls for two Russian Navy warships, on which helicopters can land, and an icebreaker.
Putin was seen on Russian television in a black jacket and pants looking at models of the ship and visiting with workers in the factory.
At noon on Friday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took to the airwaves, urging Russians in a televised address to vote "for the future" by electing a strong parliament to maintain stability and said all parties had been treated equally, despite opposition complaints of foul play.
Medvedev is leading Vladimir Putin's United Russia into Sunday's election, but made no direct reference to the party in a pre-election address in his capacity as head of state, although the party's slogan is: "The future belongs to us".
In an apparent reference to the chaos of the 1990s, when parliament was bitterly divided before United Russia's dominance, he said a unified legislature would best be able to defend national interests.
"Will this be a legislative body that is torn by irreconcilable differences and is unable to decide anything, as we have unfortunately already had in our history? Or will we get a functioning legislature where the majority are responsible politicians who can help raise the quality of life of our people, whose actions will be guided by the voters' interests and national interests?" he asked.
United Russia is expected to win the election but with a reduced majority following signs of voter apathy and weariness with the party and Putin since he announced plans to reclaim the presidency next year after four years as prime minister. Under Putin's plan, announced in September, Medvedev would become prime minister after the presidential election which Putin, 59, is all but certain to win next March.
Opposition parties say United Russia has benefited from favourable television coverage and fear there will be voting irregularities, but Medvedev said the elections would be carried out in accordance with the law for free and equal competition.
Campaign posters for United Russia have dominated cities in the run-up to the election and opposition parties say it has benefited from much more air time on television. Kommersant newspaper, which publishes the daily average amount of television coverage given to competing parties, showed United Russia taking the lion's share of air time with over an hour.
Medvedev and Putin have appeared in numerous high-profile events to try to win votes for United Russia but opinion polls show it is unlikely to retain its two-thirds majority in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Protesters from the Communist Party held a rally outside of a federal administration building in Moscow, bearing signs reading "clean elections." Their protest just happened to take place under a billboard advertising the liberal Yabloko Party.
The biggest gainer in the election is expected to be the communists, still the main opposition force 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Opinion polls suggest it will come second, but far behind United Russia. Also hoping for gains are Vladimir Zhirinovsky's nationalist LDPR and Grigory Yavlinsky's Yabloko, which had no seats in the previous parliament.
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov rallied students at Moscow's Education Academy, telling them that the future of Russian education would be determined by this and future elections.
"The next year will be the most important battle for the education law. And the elections on the fourth (of December) will be the elections of the fate of the country, of your children and grandchildren for the minimum of ten years, or, as for the education, - for 20 years to come. (Education law) can not be redone every five years," Zyuganov said.
Friday, by law, is the last day candidates can campaign. Saturday is meant to be a quiet day of reflection before the poll. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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