Russia Polls to be Litmus Test
On March 14, local elections were held across Russia. The vote, in 76 of Russia's 83 provinces, was mainly orderly, but independent election monitor Golos said they saw no improvement on earlier polls which were marred by fraud and official harassment.
The Financial Times comments that the elections are a litmus test of new political freedoms promised by President Dmitry Medvedev, and a barometer of United Russia.
Last November, Medvedev promised numerous political reforms designed to level the playing field in regional elections in Russia during his annual address to the Federal Assembly. The Financial Times comments that it remains to be seen, however, whether any of these measures will be put into practice.
Sergei Obukhov, a parliamentary deputy from the Communist Party, said: "The authorities are using their full bag of dirty tricks." Liliya Shibanova, head of Golos, said: "If anything United Russia is being more aggressive towards its opponents than before."
The Wall Street Journal notes that electoral officials rejected these criticisms. Polls show United Russia is likely to get 50% or more of the vote; party officials defend their strong results in past votes and high polling for March 14, as a reflection of the popularity of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, despite last year's sharp economic contraction.
The Moscow Times adds that early official figures indicated a high turnout. Results are expected on March 15.