Putin no longer invincible

The losses suffered by the United Russia party in the Russian parliamentary elections are a warning sign to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, writes the liberal Tages-Anzeiger: "None of the parties that have made it into the parliament is liberal-critical in the Western sense - the power machinery has seen to that. So the result of this election is more a warning than a genuine turning point. Yet the weakening of the government party can encourage people to criticise the establishment more harshly and boldly. And Putin himself is suddenly no longer invincible. Because the complacency that many Russians see in United Russia is also a reflection of the Russian leadership. Putin must listen to this signal because as early as March it won't be about an over-inflated party of his own creation any more but he himself who is running for election."

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