Putin's party wins Russian parliamentary elections

"This Duma election was essentially a referendum about extending Putin's position of power as the 'nation's leader', Reinhard Meier declares. "Those who vote for the United Russia party (Putin is its leading candidate but is not a formal member of the party) are supporting the 'Putin Plan'. The grotesque thing about this formula is that no one has yet given a detailed explanation of what this plan entails. ... The weeks following the parliamentary elections will show us what Putin intends to do with the blank cheque he had the majority of voters give him through this election with regards to the presidential elections on March 2nd, which are far more important in terms of realpolitik. Perhaps the nervousness and irritability in the Kremlin during the end phase of the parliamentary election campaign also had to do with the fact that the scenario for the presidential elections still remains unclear from an internal point of view."

» to the homepage (external link, Neue Zürcher Zeitung)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Russia
All available articles from » Reinhard Meier

» To the complete press review of Monday, December 3, 2007