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Putin allies' election win criticized

Allies of President Vladimir Putin won a sweeping victory in parliamentary elections in a race European security officials condemned yesterday as having fallen short of international legal requirements and representing a retreat from Russia's democratic reforms.

With more than 90 percent of the vote counted, United Russia -- a pro-Putin party led by Cabinet ministers -- won 36.84 percent of the vote, leaving its rivals far behind, Central Election Commission Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov told reporters at a news conference.

The Communists were next, with 12.7 percent, followed by the party of flamboyant nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky -- the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia -- at 11.8 percent. Homeland, a new, apparently Kremlin-approved patriotic grouping formed to syphon votes from the Communists had 9 percent, preliminary results showed.

Putin said in televised remarks that the elections were "another step in strengthening Russia's democracy."

But the head of the parliamentary assembly for the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe, Bruce George, criticized the outcome of the race and told reporters at a news conference that the ballot "failed to meet ... international standards."

"Our main impression of the overall electoral process was ... one of regression in the democratization of this country," he said.

Russia's two main liberal parties, Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces, known by its Russian acronym SPS, were below the minimum necessary to enter the parliament as parties.

Turnout for the vote appeared lower than past elections, with many Russians disillusioned and uninspired by the generally lackluster campaign. Two hours before polls closed, turnout was 47.6 percent, significantly lower than the 53.9 percent recorded at the same time during the last Duma vote, in 1999.

Nearly 5 percent of the electorate -- or about 2.8 million people -- voted to reject all the candidates. The protest votes mean that in four constituencies, run-off elections must be held, election officials said.

More might in the 450-seat State Duma, Russia's lower parliament house, would make it easier for Putin to push through the sometimes unpopular market-oriented economic reforms he has promised and cut the bureaucracy that stifles Russian growth. It would also give Putin an even stronger hand as he heads into what seems sure to be a second term after the presidential ballot next March.

"The United Russia party has won, the president has won. That means that democratic reforms in Russia will continue. This is a serious victory we can rightly be proud of," said Lyubov Sliska, a top figure in United Russia.

Kremlin critics, however, fear too much power for Putin could prompt a drift closer to authoritarianism.

Nikolai, a 54-year-old entrepreneur in Moscow who gave only his first name, said he did not vote for United Russia "because the state is in danger: the danger of single-party rule."

Analysts said United Russia and its allies were angling for a two-thirds majority required to make constitutional changes -- a lever they could use to extend Putin's term or let him run for a third term, provided the upper parliament house, Russia's regional legislatures and the president himself approve.
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