Voting for the House of Commons elections began on the 17th in Russia.
The ruling party, which supports the Putin administration, has a low approval rating, and the focus is on maintaining a stable support base in the parliament as the next presidential election comes up three years later.
In Russia, the parliamentary House of Commons elections, which are held once every five years, have 450 seats in total, with single-seat constituencies and proportional representation.
Voting began at 5 am on the 17th of Japan time in the Kamchatka region of the Far East.
The ruling party "United Russia", which supports the Putin administration, won overwhelmingly by winning more than 70% of the seats in the 2016 election last time, but public dissatisfaction increased due to the economic downturn and raising the pension age. According to government polls, the approval rating has dropped to the 20% level since June.
For this reason, the Putin administration supports ministers such as Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, who is relatively popular among the people, by supporting them as candidates for proportional representation of the ruling party and paying military personnel and pensioners a lump sum as a countermeasure against the new coronavirus. I am eager to acquire.
In addition, the group led by Mr. Navalny, who is known as a rush to criticize the administration and is currently in prison, has been recognized as an extremist organization and has been forced to suspend election campaigns, severely restricting the activities of opposition parties. It has been.
This election is also positioned as a prelude to the presidential election that will be held in Russia three years later, and the focus is on whether the ruling party can maintain a stable support base in parliament.
For the first time in the House of Commons elections, the vote will be held for three days and will be counted on the 19th because of the measures against the new corona.
Putin calls on the public to vote
Russian President Vladimir Putin posted a video calling on the public to vote on the presidential office website on the 16th, prior to the election day of the House of Commons election.
In this, President Putin said, "Go to the polling place or use electronic voting on a convenient day after the 17th. For the sake of your beloved homeland, a member of the Diet who will work for the benefit of all Russian citizens. I look forward to your desire to be elected. "
Putin himself has taken voluntary quarantine measures, saying that a person close to him was infected with the new coronavirus, but Peskov, a spokesman for the presidential office, said on the 16th, "In any case, the president will participate in the vote." I emphasized.
In the Russian Far East, dissatisfaction with the ruling party has increased in recent years due to the fact that living standards have not improved and economic disparities with urban areas are widening.
The Putin administration has positioned the development of the vast Far East region, which occupies more than one-third of the country's land area, as a national priority, and is promoting infrastructure development such as airports and bridges. We have also been improving the facilities.
However, the living environment of citizens such as housing and medical care has not improved, and the average monthly income in Primorsky Krai, where Vladivostok is located, is more than 56,000 rubles, which is about 85,000 yen in Japanese yen, which is lower than the national average. It is only about half that of the capital city of Moscow.
On the other hand, prices are soaring like other parts of Russia, causing dissatisfaction mainly among younger generations such as the child-rearing generation.
A 24-year-old woman who works as a contract employee in Vladivostok has a monthly income of 30,000 rubles, about 45,000 yen in Japanese yen, and she has no choice but to cut down on her life. Looking at the remaining money, I don't know how to live until the next payday, "he said, saying he would not vote for the ruling party, United Russia, in this election.
The number of people migrating from the Far East to large cities such as the capital Moscow is endless, and the outflow of population has not stopped.
The population of the Far East was over 8 million 30 years ago, but as of January, due to a change in administrative units three years ago, it has grown to more than 6 million, excluding the two regions incorporated into the Far East. Has decreased to.
A 35-year-old woman from Vladivostok, who has decided to move to central Russia with her family next month, said she would not vote for the ruling party. I want to go out right away in a sad situation. "
Under these circumstances, the ruling party is expected to struggle in this House of Commons election due to a series of protests against the Putin administration, which can be said to be unusual last year, in the Far East.