ID :
111545
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 13:38
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/111545
The shortlink copeid
Russia to hold elections, referenda in 76 regions.
MOSCOW, March 14 (Itar-Tass) - Seventy-six Russian regions will hold
elections to local legislative bodies and referenda on Sunday, March 14,
which is a Voting Day in the country. The Central Election Commission
reported that the 76 regions have a 32-million electorate, or one-third of
Russian voters.
Eight provinces are to elect regional parliaments. They are the Altai
republic, the Khabarovsk territory, the Voronezh, Kaluga, Kurgan, Ryazan
and Svedlovsk regions, and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area.
The cities of Krasnodar, Irkutsk, Omsk, Rostov-on-Don and Ulyanovsk
are due to elect their mayors.
The administrative centers of eight provinces - Astrakhan, Voronezh,
Ivanovo, Lipetsk, Novosibirsk, Smolensk, Tula and Ulyanovsk will elect
local legislators.
The mass media will be closely watching the Sunday voting. One of the
reasons behind the broad coverage is the demarche staged by three parties
last year. They challenged the results of the October 11 polls and
boycotted sessions at the State Duma lower house of the Russian parliament.
Although the majority of the violations alleged by the Communist Party
(KPRF), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and Just Russia were never
proven in court, the State Council met in January to review the current
situation in the country's political system.
Whereas in October, three regional parliaments were elected, eight
will be elected on March 14. The Central Election Commission has
repeatedly stated that there were far fewer complaints at the registration
stage.
Taking part in the regional elections are representatives of six
political parties. Of the seven registered parties, only Yabloko will miss
the elections.
In all, the eight Russian provinces registered 37 party lists. All the
four parties represented in parliament have been active. In half of the
regions - the Altai republic, the Khabarovsk territory and the Kurgan and
Sverdlvosk regions -- only United Russia, Just Russia, the KPRF and the
LDPR will be competing.
"Patriots of Russia" have their party lists registered in Yamal, and
the Kaluga and Ryazan regions. "Right Cause" registered its candidates in
the Voronezh and Ryazan regions. Ryazan leads other provinces by the
number of parties participating in the elections.
In all, parties are competing for 269 mandates to regional
parliaments. The Sverdlovsk region will only have half of legislators
replaced. The Altai republic, the Khabarovsk territory and the Sverdlovsk
region elect legislators for a term of four years. Elsewhere, the term in
office is five years.
The Kaluga region will hold elections on party lists only, as happens
on the federal level. Other regions practice a mixed system, when half of
deputies are elected under proportional election system, and another half
in single-mandate electoral districts.
The number of mandates of all levels at the March 14 polls exceeds
40,000. The toughest competition is at the regional parliaments, with
seven contenders per mandate, compared with eight contenders per mandate
at the October polls at four hopefuls per mandate during the polls in
March 2009.
Elections are regulated by local legislations, and their organization
and official vote-count are the prerogative of the election commissions at
various levels. The Central Election Commission will open its information
center to announce preliminary results through the Vybory automated system.
The CEC will announce preliminary results after 20:00, Moscow time.
CEC Chairman Vladimir Churov expects turnout to be rather high. Last
October, it exceeded 42 percent.
Churov plans to visit Ryazan on the voting day. Several voting
stations in the province will test modernized ballot processing systems
and other advanced technologies.
It is the ninth time the country holds Single Day of Voting. The
amendments to the federal legislation in August 2050 envisions elections
at various levels on the second Sunday of March and second Sunday of
October. The first Single Day of Voting was held on March 12, 2006. The
streamlined procedure saves money and the voters' time, legislators said.
-0-myz
elections to local legislative bodies and referenda on Sunday, March 14,
which is a Voting Day in the country. The Central Election Commission
reported that the 76 regions have a 32-million electorate, or one-third of
Russian voters.
Eight provinces are to elect regional parliaments. They are the Altai
republic, the Khabarovsk territory, the Voronezh, Kaluga, Kurgan, Ryazan
and Svedlovsk regions, and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area.
The cities of Krasnodar, Irkutsk, Omsk, Rostov-on-Don and Ulyanovsk
are due to elect their mayors.
The administrative centers of eight provinces - Astrakhan, Voronezh,
Ivanovo, Lipetsk, Novosibirsk, Smolensk, Tula and Ulyanovsk will elect
local legislators.
The mass media will be closely watching the Sunday voting. One of the
reasons behind the broad coverage is the demarche staged by three parties
last year. They challenged the results of the October 11 polls and
boycotted sessions at the State Duma lower house of the Russian parliament.
Although the majority of the violations alleged by the Communist Party
(KPRF), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and Just Russia were never
proven in court, the State Council met in January to review the current
situation in the country's political system.
Whereas in October, three regional parliaments were elected, eight
will be elected on March 14. The Central Election Commission has
repeatedly stated that there were far fewer complaints at the registration
stage.
Taking part in the regional elections are representatives of six
political parties. Of the seven registered parties, only Yabloko will miss
the elections.
In all, the eight Russian provinces registered 37 party lists. All the
four parties represented in parliament have been active. In half of the
regions - the Altai republic, the Khabarovsk territory and the Kurgan and
Sverdlvosk regions -- only United Russia, Just Russia, the KPRF and the
LDPR will be competing.
"Patriots of Russia" have their party lists registered in Yamal, and
the Kaluga and Ryazan regions. "Right Cause" registered its candidates in
the Voronezh and Ryazan regions. Ryazan leads other provinces by the
number of parties participating in the elections.
In all, parties are competing for 269 mandates to regional
parliaments. The Sverdlovsk region will only have half of legislators
replaced. The Altai republic, the Khabarovsk territory and the Sverdlovsk
region elect legislators for a term of four years. Elsewhere, the term in
office is five years.
The Kaluga region will hold elections on party lists only, as happens
on the federal level. Other regions practice a mixed system, when half of
deputies are elected under proportional election system, and another half
in single-mandate electoral districts.
The number of mandates of all levels at the March 14 polls exceeds
40,000. The toughest competition is at the regional parliaments, with
seven contenders per mandate, compared with eight contenders per mandate
at the October polls at four hopefuls per mandate during the polls in
March 2009.
Elections are regulated by local legislations, and their organization
and official vote-count are the prerogative of the election commissions at
various levels. The Central Election Commission will open its information
center to announce preliminary results through the Vybory automated system.
The CEC will announce preliminary results after 20:00, Moscow time.
CEC Chairman Vladimir Churov expects turnout to be rather high. Last
October, it exceeded 42 percent.
Churov plans to visit Ryazan on the voting day. Several voting
stations in the province will test modernized ballot processing systems
and other advanced technologies.
It is the ninth time the country holds Single Day of Voting. The
amendments to the federal legislation in August 2050 envisions elections
at various levels on the second Sunday of March and second Sunday of
October. The first Single Day of Voting was held on March 12, 2006. The
streamlined procedure saves money and the voters' time, legislators said.
-0-myz
