Wow! Russia

[Kathianne]

Unthinkable, I'm guessing state department has lights glowing tonight.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/04/us-russia-election-idUSTRE7B019B20111204


Russia's Putin and party suffer election blow By Timothy Heritage (http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=timothy.heritage&) and Ralph Boulton (http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=ralph.boulton&)
MOSCOW | Sun Dec 4, 2011 6:54pm EST

(Reuters) - Russian voters have dealt Vladimir Putin's ruling party a heavy blow by cutting its parliamentary majority in an election that showed growing unease with his domination of the country as he prepares to reclaim the presidency.


Incomplete results showed Putin's United Russia (http://www.reuters.com/places/russia) was struggling even to win 50 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, compared with more than 64 percent four years ago. Opposition parties said even that outcome was inflated by fraud.


Although Putin is still likely to win a presidential election in March, Sunday's result could dent the authority of the man who has ruled for almost 12 years with a mixture of hardline security policies, political acumen and showmanship but was booed and jeered after a martial arts bout last month.


United Russia had 49.94 percent of the votes after results were counted in 70 percent of voting districts for the election to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. Exit polls had also put United Russia below 50 percent.


"These elections are unprecedented because they were carried out against the background of a collapse in trust in Putin, (President Dmitry) Medvedev and the ruling party," said Vladimir Ryzhkov, a liberal opposition leader barred from running.


"I think that the March (presidential) election will turn into an even bigger political crisis; disappointment, frustration, with even more dirt and disenchantment, and an even bigger protest vote."

...

[fj1200]

Siberian Spring?

[Kathianne]

Siberian Spring?

Things will probably get more interesting:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2011/12/05/russias-voters-have-spoken-anybody-but-putin/


(http://blogs.forbes.com/paulroderickgregory/) Paul Roderick Gregory (http://blogs.forbes.com/paulroderickgregory/), Contributor
Domestic and world economics from a free-market perspective

<hgroup>12/05/2011 @ 12:13AM |2,191 views Russia's Voters Have Spoken: Anybody But Putin 2 comments, 0 called-out (http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2011/12/05/russias-voters-have-spoken-anybody-but-putin/#comments_header)
+ Comment now (http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2011/12/05/russias-voters-have-spoken-anybody-but-putin/#comment_reply)


</hgroup>http://w.sharethis.com/images/check-big.png


http://w.sharethis.com/images/check-big.png





According to exit polls, Vladimir Putin’s United Russia lost its majority in the Russian parliament in Sunday’s voting. United Russia fell from a two third majority to under fifty percent. Prior to the election, Putin muzzled independent election monitors; so the actual vote was much worse for his former majority party.
To understand the magnitude of this electoral drubbing, consider a U.S. election in which Republican candidates are banned, and the Democrats vie against the Green, Libertarian, and the Freedom Socialist Parties, and THEY FAIL TO WIN A MAJORITY. This was the case in Russia on Sunday. The majority of ballots were not for someone but against the Putin regime...





And this from Germany:

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15578486,00.html


Elections | 05.12.2011 Russian elections overshadowed by accusations of fraud, manipulation
The Russian parliamentary elections on Sunday were the "dirtiest" in years, according to independent election observers. German politicians, meanwhile, are calling on the Russian government to implement more reform.



While the ballots from Russia's parliamentary elections on Sunday are still being counted, it's clear that the governing party, United Russia, has maintained its status as the strongest political force within the Duma, Russia's parliament. According to polls taken on election day, the Kremlin's party won less than 50 percent of the votes. The state election commission gave a higher number, however, which was still below a two-thirds majority...

[logroller]

Siberian Spring?

Sounds like an environmental movement.

[Kathianne]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500188_162-57340752/thousands-in-russia-protest-putin-vote-fraud/


December 10, 2011 7:43 AM
Thousands in Russia protest Putin, vote fraud It's a sight Russia hasn't seen for 20 years - a mass anti-government demonstration that's been allowed to go ahead.
Tens of thousands of Muscovites thronged to a city square to protest against alleged electoral fraud and against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his party on Saturday, and demonstrators gathered in other rallies across the vast country, the largest public show of discontent in post-Soviet Russia.
CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata reports there have been clashes in St. Petersburg, with riot police dragging away protesters. Demonstrations in Moscow have so far been peaceful but they are growing in number and anger.
More than 10,000 people packed Moscow streets near the Kremlin, with more arriving by the minute...



Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500188_162-57340752/thousands-in-russia-protest-putin-vote-fraud/#ixzz1gA0lfa7g

[Kathianne]

I cannot believe that no one here sees another huge problem in the making:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8949424/Dmitry-Medvedev-Facebook-message-against-Russian-protesters-backfires.html


...The post was the first official response from a visibly nervous Russian government and its misfiring is another sign that the Kremlin is struggling to comprehend a movement which has grown at such speed since 5,000 first came out to protest after the Dec. 4 elections.


It also is unsure how to work out how to battle the movement. Moscow will see another mass street demonstration on Monday when supporters of Mr Putin and Mr Medvedev will gather by the Kremlin.


Thousands of young people, part of Kremlin backed youth groups, will carry, organisers say, banners with slogans such as "We voted. We won" in Russian and "We PUT IN our Votes!" in English but they will be hard put to convince many of their sincerity after the meeting on Saturday.


Russian newspapers regularly report that Kremlin youth groups hire people to take part in events or bus them in from the provinces.


Four hundred nationalists separately rallied in Moscow on Sunday on the one year anniversary of a nationalist riot in the city.


Mr Medvedev's Facebook gaffe is the second such social networking embarrassment in a week. The Kremlin was earlier forced to apologise after an obscene Twitter message was retweeted from the president's official account.


The original message, written by an outgoing MP, attacked detractors of the ruling United Russia party as "sheep" who had been subjected to a sex act. The Kremlin said that they were sent out by mistake and that the culprit would be punished.


Last month Mr Medvedev, who has branded himself as a tech innovator, was forced into hiding part of his personal profile on VKontakte, Russia's equivlanet of Facebook, after he was flooded with insulting 'virtual' presents.

[Gaffer]

This could get real interesting. Russia has been a thugocracy for about 20 years now. I don't think putin will just step aside for anyone. He'll start the crack downs and disappearings. Eastern Europe will be interesting to watch at the same time.

[Kathianne]

This could get real interesting. Russia has been a thugocracy for about 20 years now. I don't think putin will just step aside for anyone. He'll start the crack downs and disappearings. Eastern Europe will be interesting to watch at the same time.

Russia cannot resume the USSR, no matter how much they might wish to. On the other hand, they certain can ally with China, NK, Iran, and name your 'bad' players regarding the US traditional hopes. I say 'traditional' for the simple reason it's quite difficult to say exactly where the US is today.

[Abbey Marie]

If Ron Paul gets elected, I feel pretty certain that he will allow Russia to do whatever it wants to the nations that comprised the former USSR.

[Gaffer]

They're already backing iran. Like I said they are a thugocracy. They can't rebuild the soviet empire but they can build a new and expanded Russia. These new protests will get in the way for a while and then the crack downs will start. The Russians have no qualms about suppressing decent. The protests may be part of the over all plan and a reason to come down with a hard fist.The soviet system may be dead but the KGB is alive and well and ruling the country.

[Kathianne]

wow, again!

http://news.yahoo.com/anti-putin-protest-draws-tens-thousands-122503909.html


Anti-Putin protest draws tens of thousandshttp://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/kjmVjizroQE0M3Nlej7hqQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9Zml0O2g9Mjc-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/logo/ap/ap_logo_106.png (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=1165fs1v1/EXP=1325951951/**http%3A//www.ap.org/)<cite id="yui_3_3_0_24_1324742358632367" class="byline vcard">By JIM HEINTZ and NATALIYA VASILYEVA | AP – <abbr id="yui_3_3_0_24_1324742358632381" title="2011-12-24T14:30:02Z">1 hr 27 mins ago

</abbr></cite>MOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators on Saturday cheered opposition leaders and jeered the Kremlin in the biggest show of outrage yet against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule.


The Moscow demonstration was even bigger than a similar rally two weeks ago, signaling that the protest movement ignited by the fraud-tainted Dec. 4 parliamentary election may be growing. Protest were also held in dozens of other cities and towns across Russia...

<cite id="yui_3_3_0_24_1324742358632367" class="byline vcard"><abbr id="yui_3_3_0_24_1324742358632381" title="2011-12-24T14:30:02Z">
</abbr></cite>

[Gaffer]

Are they going to call this the Russian winter. Saw an article yesterday that said Gorbachev doesn't like vlad either. The chief russian thug seems to be losing his glimmer.