Russia's 2016 Parliamentary Elections: A Putin Scorecard

Russians go to the polls in September to choose a new Duma---the first national election since the parliamentary balloting of 2011 and the presidential vote of 2012. President Vladimir Putin and his opponents know that his party, United Russia, will retain its majority. But who gets how many seats i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2016
Main Author: Sestanovich, Stephen
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Council on Foreign Relations
Elections
Government
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Russians go to the polls in September to choose a new Duma---the first national election since the parliamentary balloting of 2011 and the presidential vote of 2012. President Vladimir Putin and his opponents know that his party, United Russia, will retain its majority. But who gets how many seats is not necessarily the most important question. When, after the votes were counted in 2011, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that United Russia had received 49.32 percent---widely considered a phony number---the result was an explosion of protest and anti-regime anger. Will this year's vote reignite tensions or reinforce stability? Will it strengthen or weaken the existing system?