Russia's regional elections on March 13 are considered a run-up to the national legislative elections for the Duma this December. All the parties participating claim satisfaction with the results. The ruling United Russia party of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev captured 375 out of 546 mandates at stake in 12 regions. In the runner up spot was the Communist Party with 71. A Just Russia, that was originally a regime-sponsored party designed to siphon off votes from the Communists, received 46.The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, that is neither liberal nor Democratic, headed by Vladimir Zhirinovski, captured 33.
United Russia. however. witnessed a decline in its vote compared to 2007. In 2007 the party had 64% of the vote and according to the official results, it took only 50.4% in the current balloting. Vladimir Putin claims that the party did better this time and in Russia it is safer to let him do the math. Opposition leaders, of course, see it differently and claim that the decline in support for United Russia demonstrates that the party has lost its iron grip on the electorate and that this trend will continue in future elections.
This drop in support for United Russia becomes even more meaningful when one considers the built-in advantage enjoyed by the ruling party. It controlled the electoral apparatus and therefore can be suspected of having tilted the results in its favor.
According to the opposition parties, the exit polls, even those of United Russia, showed the ruling party receiving 40%. Between the exit polls and the final tabulations, including a stop in the count, things improved for United Russia. During the campaign it could offer the voter inducements, from free liquor to rock stars airlifted into Siberia to pack rallies. Billboards of the opposition were frequently removed or defaced and of course the media was overwhelmingly in favor of the ruling party and defamatory to the opposition. People with absentee ballots who voted in regular voting booths were still allowed to keep the absentee ballots, increasing the possibility that they exercised their franchise more than once.
Another straw in the wind was the campaign tactic of United Russia. Instead of touting its own achievements, it was forced back upon negative campaigning and vilifying the opponents. In terms of parliamentary majorities at the regional level, United Russia still holds sway because, despite the disappointment, no real alternative has emerged to United Russia. The opposition continues to be splintered. An opposition like the Communists is good for registering a protest vote, but nobody would think of actually returning the Communists to power.