Moscow
Pro-Kremlin parties trounced all others this week in local elections in 14 of Russia’s regions. United Russia, the party that controls the federal legislature and bases its platform around loyalty to President Vladimir Putin, took first place in 13 of the races. A new party called A Just Russia captured first place in one region and second place in all the others. Formed just five months ago, A Just Russia calls itself an opposition party; it does criticize United Russia, but is also devoted to Putin. Leaders of the long-established, pro-Western opposition parties, such as the Union of Right Forces and Yabloko, charged that the new party was created to siphon off votes from the real opposition. Those parties were pushed off the ballot in some of the races and fared poorly where they did compete.
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