Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Polls show Russians back crisis plan: Putin's party
Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:18am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Conor Sweeney
MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev endorsed on Monday the crushing win by the country's ruling party in local elections that opposition parties and independent observers said were rigged and an omen for the country's future.
Medvedev backed the outcome as proof of the party's moral and legal right to run Russia's regions, even though two months ago he had said "new democratic times are beginning" and promised to break the party's near-monopoly on power.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia was confirmed as the strongest party in just about every poll, retaining power in key locations, including elections for Moscow city lawmakers, the most populous and affluent region.
Putin nominally leads the party which is backed by Medvedev.
Russia has been badly hit by the economic crisis, with GDP set to contract by more than 8.5 percent this year and the number of unemployed nearly 50 percent higher than a year ago, exposing the country's dependence on energy exports for revenue.
Just three opposition lawmakers, all from the Communist Party, were set to enter Moscow's 52-seat parliament, with all other seats going to United Russia, based on forecast results giving it 66 percent of votes but more than 90 percent of seats.
"The party has proved that it has a right, not only moral, but also legal, to form executive administrations in the regions. The outcome of yesterday's elections is convincing proof of that," Medvedev said during talks with party leaders.
Regional, mayoral and district polls were held in 76 of Russia's 83 regions, comprising 30 million voters. Results were still being confirmed on Monday but all showed the same pattern.
TURNOUT DISPUTED
Independent poll watchdog Golos and opposition parties said there had been a much lower turnout than reported, widespread ballot stuffing and voter intimidation.
Golos representative Alexander Kinev said that if electoral standards are not improved and those guilty of violations are not punished, Russia will revert backwards to its communist-era system with no links between the administration and the public.
"The people's distrust toward formal institutions and election procedures will grow. This means that just like in Soviet times, when there were strict formal institutions, but people instead lead their own lives," said Kinev.
"Our government likes to complain that people do not obey the laws. What can they talk about if the procedure by which the government was elected does not inspire confidence?" he said.
Financial markets anticipated the results but a backlash against the outcome could have an effect, said UniCredit Bank analyst Vladimir Osakovsky in a research note.
"We expect that any possible market impact from the elections to come from the potential escalation of conflicts associated with the alleged vote rigging by the pro-government party," Osakovsky wrote. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
UPDATE 1-Egyptian GB Auto eyeing bonds to fund expansion
Also on reuters
Soros aims to invest $1 billion in green tech
Analysis: Taking U.S. dollar weakness in stride
India set to be global leader in tech services: Forbes chief
More International News
Suicide bomber kills 41 near Pakistan's Swat
| Video
North Korea fires missiles
Advancing Marines test new Afghan war doctrine
China sentences six to death over Xinjiang riots
UK halts business with Iran firms on nuclear fears
More International News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Chavez says Obama did "nothing" to deserve Nobel
Former flight attendant sues Oprah over sex claim
Ultra-rich want their children to know the ropes
North Korea fires missiles and declares "no sail" zone
Soros aims to invest $1 bln in green tech
N.Korea fires missiles, declares 'no sail' zone
U.S. arrests suspected 1968 Pan Am flight hijacker
Marge Simpson makes cover of Playboy
New Michael Jackson single hits the airwaves
Suicide bomber kills 41 near Pakistan's Swat | Video
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Dozens die in Nigeria tanker crash
Art of flying gets UN approval.
Military convoy bombed in Pakistan
Boyzone's Stephen Gately dies
British brides trash their dresses
Three blasts rock western Iraq
NASA crashes probe into moon
Gay activists march in Washington.
Space clown touches down to Earth
Deadly end to Pakistan army siege
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.