Voting for the House of Commons elections has begun in Russia.
The focus is on how well the Putin administration can maintain a strong power base in parliament amid sluggish ruling party approval ratings.
In Russia's five-year parliamentary House elections, a total of 450 seats were contested by single-seat constituencies and proportional representations, and voting began nationwide on the 17th.
The ruling party, "United Russia," which supports the Putin administration, won overwhelmingly by winning more than 70% of the seats in the last election, but public dissatisfaction has increased due to the economic downturn, and government polls have recently shown. The approval rating has dropped to the 20% level like never before.
For this reason, the Putin administration has sought to gain support by supporting ministers, who are relatively popular among the people, as proportional representation candidates for the ruling party, and by paying military personnel and pensioners a lump sum as a countermeasure against the new coronavirus. I am enthusiastic.
On the other hand, opposition campaigns have been severely restricted, and an opposition-supporting woman who voted in Moscow said, "The administration is putting pressure on those who oppose it. It's very annoying." Was there.
This election is positioned as a prelude to the presidential election in Russia three years later, and the focus is on how far the Putin administration can maintain a strong power base in parliament.
The vote will be counted on the 19th after being held for three days due to the measures against the new corona, and it is expected that a large number will be revealed before dawn on the 20th of Japan time.
Expert "The ruling party wins the majority" The administration base is unwavering
"For the Putin administration, this House of Commons election is important for the Putin administration to give legitimacy to the regime it has built over the last two decades," said Andrey Kolesnikov, senior researcher at the Carnegie International Peace Foundation Moscow Center, who is familiar with Russia's internal affairs. He pointed out that the administration attaches great importance to the House of Commons elections.
The ruling party "United Russia", which supports the administration, has a sluggish approval rating of 20% in advance polls, but Mr. Kolesnikov said, "In any case, the ruling party will win a majority" and a single majority of seats. He won overwhelmingly and expressed the view that the administration base would not be shaken.
"The administration is aiming for full control of civil society," he said, saying that the dissident leader Alexei Navalny's group was identified as an extremist organization and was virtually devastated. He pointed out that he is further strengthening the tightening of opposition forces through legal means.
"The Putin administration is trying to build a system that they call'stability'. There will be no dissidents, no civil society, and everyone will obey," he said. On the contrary, he expressed concern that public dissatisfaction would be annoying.
While the House of Representatives election is positioned as a prelude to the presidential election in 2024, Mr. Kolesnikov said, "There is no reason for Putin to retire," he said, saying that Putin is likely to continue to cast. Shown.