Turnout in Russia's parliamentary polls up on 2003

[FarCenter]

Source: RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti) - As of 5:00 p.m. Moscow time (2:00 p.m. GMT) on Sunday, 54.8% of Russia's electorate had voted in the parliamentary elections, the Central Election Committee (CEC) announced.

CEC Secretary Nikolai Konkin said that so far the voter turnout is significantly above the level seen in 2003. During those elections, the figure had reached 44.2% as of 5:00 p.m.

Preliminary voting results and exit polls are set to be announced at 9:00 p.m. Moscow time (6:00 p.m. GMT), soon after the last polling stations close in the westernmost part of Russia, the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

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Read more: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071202/90541072.html

[FarCenter]

1. Exit polls give Putin's United Russia at least 61%

MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti) - According to exit polls, President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party received at least 61% of votes in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

The Election Commission said that going by preliminary data voter turnout was 60%, compared to 55.75% at the 2003 State Duma elections.

According to exit polls carried out by the Russian Public Opinion Center, United Russia gained 61%, well ahead of the Communist Party with 11.5%. The ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) received 8.8%, and A Just Russia, led by Kremlin loyalists, garnered 8.4%.

Exit polls carried out by the Public Opinion Fund suggest an even stronger victory for United Russia, with 62.3%. The fund put the Communists at 11.8%, the LDPR at 8.4%, and A Just Russia at 8.3%.

No other parties made it past the 7% threshold needed to enter parliament.

Voting finished at 9:00 p.m. Moscow time (6:00 p.m. GMT), when the last polling stations closed in the westernmost part of Russia, the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

The parliamentary elections were the fifth in Russia's post-Soviet history.

[MarkR1717]

2. So it's just parties.....

...that support Putin?

Who'd have thunk it?

[FarCenter]

4. Most minor parties oppose Putin, e.g. the Communist Party

Of the minor parties, I think that only "A Just Russia" also supports Putin. The other minor parities oppose him.

[FarCenter]

3. Partial vote count puts Putin's United Russia at 63.3%

MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) - With 34% of votes counted, President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party garnered 63.3% in Sunday's parliamentary election, the Central Election Commission announced.

According to the preliminary data, the Communist Party received 11.4%, the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party 9.5%, and A Just Russia, led by Kremlin loyalists, garnered 7.5%.

No other parties made it past the 7% threshold needed to enter parliament. The Agrarian party received 2.5% of votes, Yabloko 1.4%, and Union of Right Forces (SPS) 1.1%.

The Central Election Commission put voter turnout at around 60%, compared to 55.75% at the 2003 State Duma elections.

Speaking after the partial vote count was announced, the head of United Russia said the party would not use its overwhelming parliamentary majority to force changes to the Constitution.

Boris Gryzlov, who is also the Duma speaker, said that over the past four years the party has used its parliamentary majority to "protect the current Constitution."

He called the result a victory for President Vladimir Putin, who topped the party list.

Gryzlov conceded that there were violations in the State Duma elections, but said that these did not affect the result.

Voting finished at 9:00 p.m. Moscow time (6:00 p.m. GMT), when the last polling stations closed in the westernmost part of Russia, the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

The parliamentary elections were the fifth in Russia's post-Soviet history.

The run-up to the Duma elections was marred by a dispute with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, after its main election monitoring arm refused to dispatch observers for the polls, citing restrictions and visa delays. Moscow in turn criticized "chaos" in the organization and reinvigorated calls for its reform.

Russia's Communist Party said on Sunday it is preparing lawsuits to contest the results of the elections.

"A group of our lawyers have already begun preparing lawsuits for the Supreme Court to contest the results of voting, without waiting for the vote count," said the head of the party's legal service, Vadim Solovyev.

"The barrage of violations exceeds all acceptable norms," he added.