Pro-Kremlin party United Russia loses third of seats in Moscow elections
Russia’s ruling party lost a third of its seats in a Moscow election over the weekend, suffering at the polls following mass public protests.
United Russia, which supports President Vladmir Putin, suffered a string of defeats in the Moscow vote, although it remains on course to retain a majority.
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The pro-Kremlin party’s share of the 45-seat city legislature dropped from 40 to 25, according to state news agency RIA.
Valentin Gorbunov, head of the Moscow Election Commission, also told the media outlet that the Communist Party won 13 seats, while the Just Russia party and the liberal Yabloko party won three seats each.
Such losses come in the wake of large demonstrations against the arrest of opposition candidates in the run-up to the election.
Protests mounted over the summer after the Kremin prevented candidates tied to opposition leader Alexei Navalny from standing for election.
Navalny has been urging a “Smart Voting” tactical strategy to encourage voters to cast ballots for candidates that are most likely to unseat United Russia.
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Putin’s spokesman told reporters the Kremlin thought United Russia had done well despite the setback in Moscow, according to Reuters.
“In general the election campaign across Russia was very successful for the United Russia party. It won more in some places than others. But in general for the country the party showed its political leadership,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
In the last Moscow election five years ago, United Russia won 28 seats in its own name and a further 10 via independent candidates which it had supported.