March 13 was marked on calendars nationwide as the day of elections for practically all of Russia - of the total 83 subjects of the Russian Federation, 74 held elections.
In 3,208 polls, voters elected 20,452 local legislators and heads of executive bodies.
Sunday`s turnout was higher than in the last year`s regional elections, while the number of violations reported turned out to be apparently lower.
The elections` preliminary results have validated United Russia`s leading positions in the present political arena. The party`s members are expected to clinch a majority in legislative bodies of 12 regions.
In the Kaliningrad Region, Russia`s western exclave, and the Republic of Komi, United Russia reportedly bagged about 50 per cent of voters` confidence. In the Chukotka Autonomous District, results there came to more than 70 per cent. In the Tver and Orenburg regions, about 40 per cent of voters gave their votes to United Russia`s candidates. A similar result was shown in Kursk and Nizhny Novgorod regions, as well as in the Khanty-Mansyisk Autonomous District.
United Russia`s leadership has stressed that Sunday`s polls have started a campaign in the parliamentary elections to the Sate Duma due to be held on December 4. "The voting in 12 regions is the best sociological survey," said Boris Gryzlov, chairman of the party`s supreme council. He believes the March 13 elections will bring United Russia more votes than similar regional polls held last year. The politician even predicted the growth of voters` sympathies in the ruling party during the December elections.
Gryzlov said the party`s observers reported irregularities and "provocations" during Sunday`s elections in different regions. He advised other parties not to gripe about violations but "to calmly prove their position in courts."
The Communist Party (CPRF), which reportedly came in second during the March 13 elections, has already accused United Russia of using "dirty tricks" during the campaign and on election day. "There has never been such an outrage like this before," the party`s head Gennady Zyuganov bemoaned.
The Communists have pledged to comb through all reports about violations. At the same time, the party`s leaders said the CPRF managed to consolidate their positions and reported "steady growth" in support of the party.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), has noted "positive changes" during the spring campaign. But LDPR also reported violations during the elections in Saratov, Orenburg, Stavropol, Kursk and Tver.
Officials from the Central Election Commission (CEC), however, declared that the single election day "proceeded smoothly." The number of complaints did not exceed those during previous elections, said Leonid Ivlev, a deputy chairman of Russia`s Central Election Commission. About 20 complaints regarding irregularities came from State Duma deputies, and more than 30 - from political parties. More than 60 cases of violation during the elections were reported to police.
sections: Politics, Society |