Israel, Jerusalem / corr Trend R.Abdullayev / "The fact that the current Russian President Vladimir Putin led the list of Unified Russia testifies for the Russian leader's will to remain a central figure in the political Olympia in Russia even after the completion of his presidential cadence", Avin Idan, an Israeli expert on former USSR countries of Haifa University said.
Elections to the State Duma (Parliament) were held in Russia on 2 December. Official data on the results of the elections will be publicized on 7-8 December, Vladimir Churov, the head of the CEC, said.
According to the CEC, as a result of calculations almost 98% of the public participated in the elections. Unified Russia gained 64.1% of votes, the Communist Party 11.6%, the Liberal democratic Party 8.2%, Fair Russia 7.8%. Only four parties enter the State Duma, because they met the 17%-barrier.
The ruling Russian elite in time did not leave any opportunity to electors but to participate in the polls and ensure results which were necessary for the Kremlin, Idan said in a telephone interview. Propaganda in the media controlled by the Government and strong administrative resource would deprive the weak opposition of any chances for more or less considerable success," he said. According to the Israeli political expert, leading the list of Unified Russia, which is a political party of those who hold state power, both in Moscow and in the regions, Putin changed the elections into a private referendum.
According to Idan, the growing concentration of political and economic authorities gives birth to a spirit of fatalism among the population, calmed by improvement of living conditions and proud that Russia will again play a significant role in the international arena. "In this connection Putin did not allow the participation and interference of international experts and observers, including OSCE observers, in the elections. Here it is necessary to understand the approach by the Russian leader, who returned the feeling that Russia is a great country in every sense, including historical, political and cultural aspects, so that to give up for lost in future and exclude any chance of democratic evolution," the expert added.