Putin's United Russia wins Russian election after barring opposition | DW News

Early results in Russia's parliamentary election point to a victory for President Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party. With a third of all the ballots counted, the party has won some 45 percent. The vote came in the wake of a clampdown that saw many opposition politicians and activists arrested or barred from running.
This time Russia's voters had three days to cast their ballots, rather than just one. In some regions people could even vote online. Observers say the goal was a high voter turnout to lend the election more legitimacy.
But for three days, there have also been reports of voter fraud. Videos of election officials trying to cover up obvious ballot stuffing made the rounds. Some of them went viral. But Russia's central electoral commission has said the vote was overwhelmingly transparent.
Independent monitors disagree. They put the number of violations at over 3000. But voters in Moscow hoped their ballot could make a difference.
Russia's communist party came second in the ballot. Traditionally they have been considered loyal to the Kremlin. But that may now be changing with young faces joining the old guard.
Historically the Duma has upheld the status quo, but with Russia's economy in crisis, the new parliament might need to make some tough change in the country.


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