A close race in Russia's local elections.
(Baonghean) - More than 5,000 elections at various levels were held in 85 regions of Russia on Unity Day. The voting was closely watched by observers and attracted public attention, as the results will partly shape Russia's political future in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
Russian voters will elect governors for 16 regions and legislative assemblies in 13 localities and regions; elect members of municipal legislatures (city dumas) in 22 administrative centers; and hold by-elections for the State Duma (Russian lower house of parliament) in four proxy constituencies in the Khabarovsk, Novgorod, Sverdlovsk, and Orlov provinces.
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin casts his vote on September 8. Photo: TASS |
This local election is being watched more closely than in years, as Russian voters have been staging large-scale protests for almost two months against the Central Election Commission's removal of opposition candidates from the electoral list.
Protests erupted in Russia in mid-July 2019 after the Central Election Commission rejected the candidacy applications of several opposition candidates on the grounds that they had not collected enough supporting signatures.
According to regulations, candidates in local elections must collect signatures of support from 5-10% of city representatives and voters. Therefore, in this election, the scope of observation has been expanded, and all electoral district procedures are conducted under the close supervision of observers.
Although both the Central Election Commission and the local election commissions have noted that no serious violations occurred, the initial voting results are becoming a subject of controversy.
Chairwoman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvenko declared the election campaign successful, transparent, and highly competitive. After the official election results are announced, 16-17 new senators are expected to join the National Assembly. “This is a new generation of officials, bringing a fresh perspective. We have high expectations,” Matvenko stated.
Meanwhile, some other opposition politicians argue that the September 8 vote was not a real election. Candidate Daria Besedina of the Yabloko (Apple) Party wrote on Twitter: “There were no real elections – many candidates who could clearly have won were not allowed to run.” She stated that at her upcoming first meeting, she will call for the Moscow Parliament to dissolve itself.
