Many Russians Liken Pro-Putin Party To Soviet-Era Communist Party
Russia's parliamentary election campaign officially starts Saturday with an opinion poll suggesting many voters see the main pro-Kremlin party as a new version of the Soviet Communist party and want to give it tight control over the country.

The United Russia party, which controls the current parliament, is expected to consolidate its position in the Dec. 2 election, especially after President Vladimir Putin announced a month ago he will lead the party ticket.

Putin's decision to lead United Russia's ticket was seen as an indication he is considering using the party as a springboard to maintain power after he steps down as president next year. Putin said he would not join United Russia, and leading the party's ticket does not oblige him to take a seat in parliament. He is barred by the constitution from running for a third consecutive term in March. The campaign for the 450 seats in the parliament's lower house officially begins Saturday.

A survey by independent pollsters Levada Centre last week showed that more than one-third of Russians see United Russia as the new Soviet Communist party, and half want it to control all branches of power.

Some 48 per cent of those polled said they did not see the party as a new Soviet Communist party and 18 per cent had no answer. The poll was of 1,600 people and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

United Russia said Tuesday that it will not take part in televised debates with the 10 other parties, saying it would be more effective to talk to voters directly and spend more airtime on election advertising. "United Russia is a collection of bureaucrats and others who want to be close to the government. They don't have political convictions, therefore they cannot engage in a political debate," Lyudmila Alexeyeva, a Soviet-era dissident who heads Moscow Helsinki Group, a human rights body, said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

The seats in the lower house, the State Duma, will be distributed on a proportional basis among parties that receive at least seven per cent of the vote. Only a few parties are expected to clear the threshold.

A draw was held Wednesday at the Central Election Commission to determine parties' places on the ballot. United Russia drew No. 10, just ahead of the only liberal opposition party, Yabloko, said commission spokesman Rustem Nigmatulin.

The commission said the number of international observers will be limited to 300 to 400, compared with 1,100 for the last parliamentary election in 2003. An invitation for international election monitors was sent this week to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Nigmatulin said.

The OSCE had expected the invitation to be issued weeks ago, sparking concerns about the fairness of the election.

OSCE observers described the 2003 election as a step backward for democracy, saying the state had used the media and other levers to favour United Russia.

Russian officials have accused OSCE election observers of being biased against Russia.

In September, Russia submitted proposals to the OSCE that would restrict the activity of international election monitors. The OSCE's election monitoring body is expected to decide on the proposals in November.