MOSCOW — Two years of economic recession, Western sanctions and wars in Ukraine and Syria haven’t shaken Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.
Instead, Sunday’s election to the Russian state Duma saw the president’s United Russia party win a greater share of the vote than in 2011, with even less space in parliament for any real opposition party.
There was never any doubt about the outcome, and many Russians didn’t bother to turn out. Nationwide, only 48 percent voted compared to 60 percent in the previous elections for the lower house of parliament. The numbers were even worse in Moscow and St. Petersburg, …read more
Source: European Voice
