Moscow
Russians, already known for their political apathy, are becoming even less interested in politics. In a survey conducted 18 months ago, 48 percent of Russians said they were completely indifferent to what was going on in government; this week the figure was 54 percent. During that interval, President Vladimir Putin’s government abolished direct elections of governors, struck the “none of the above” option from ballots, and canceled all but the pro-Kremlin political TV programs. Still, fully 47 percent of Russians said there was more “freedom and openness” in politics than there used to be, while just 23 percent disagreed with that statement. Two federal elections are coming up: one for the legislature, this December, and the other, for president, next spring.
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