A grubby spectacle
Money and muscle will be more important than ideas and personalities in Russia’s parliamentary election. But a rough democracy survives, just
BY THE standards of history, Russia's political system might seem to be working quite well. Russians are cynical about politicians, but about two-thirds say they will vote on December 19th. They will elect 450 people to the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, half of them in local single-round contests, the rest by party list with a 5% threshold. Most of the candidates likely to win seats believe there should be more such elections in future. Those who think differently—the extremists of right and left—have been marginalised. Most political parties pay at least lip-service to notions of private property and the rule of law, just as they believe that prices, not planners, should mainly govern the workings of the economy. Both democracy and market have put down some roots in Russia.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “A grubby spectacle”
Briefing December 18th 1999
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