It seems very likely that the party United Russia has won over sixty-three percent of the votes in the general election. At the same time, the opposing Communist Party looks to also win seats. Electoral commission has dismissed allegations of fraud by the opposition.
The Communist party said they will have a legal challenge. They will meet on Monday to talk about whether or not to boycott the new parliament.
Putin has explained that a strong result would allow him to retain political power after his term as president ends. He could possibly run for Prime Minister afterwards.
“We do not trust these figures announced by the central elections commission and we will conduct a parallel count,” said Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party.
Boris Gryzlov, the leader of United Russia acknowledged there has been violations; but, dismissed them as they were insignificant.
“They in now way put in doubt the final result. The fact that these violations have been registered shows that we have a transparent ballot,” according to Gryzlov.
Originally, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe stopped plans to send a big team of election observers. They accused the government of imposing curbs and delaying visas.
The landslide victory will guarantee Putin power after stepping down as president next year in 2008. He might seek to run for Prime Minister after the term ends.
If the Liberal Democratic Party enters parliament, their candidate Andrei Lugovoi would be granted a seat. Lugovoi is currently wanted by the British government for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy.
If given a parliamentary seat, Litvinenko would be immune from prosecution and extradition.