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Russians Go To The Polls

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By JIM HEINTZ, The Associated Press

Published: December 2, 2007

MOSCOW - Russia began voting today in a parliamentary election in which the only question is whether President Vladimir Putin's party will win merely a strong majority of seats or a gargantuan, crushing share.

The vote follows months of acidic rhetoric aimed against the West and efforts, by law and by truncheon, to stifle opponents. A huge win for Putin's United Russia party could pave the way for him to stay at the helm once his presidential term expires in the spring. The party casts the election as essentially a referendum on Putin's nearly eight years in office.

Putin is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third consecutive term as president in March. But he clearly wants to keep his hand on Russia's levers of power, and has raised the prospect of becoming prime minister.

Voting began in the Far Eastern regions of Chukotka and Kamchatka. It ends in western Kaliningrad today.

It is the first national vote under new election laws, criticized as marginalizing opponents. Seats will be awarded proportionately to how much of the vote a party gets; in previous elections, half the seats were distributed among candidates contesting a specific district, which allowed a few mavericks to get in.

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