ERR in Moscow: Interest in Russian Super Elections Weak
The 5,000 elections which took place in Russia on Sunday received a cold shoulder from the public with the results easy to predict.
On Sunday, 30 regions elected governors. Many cities and municipalities, including Moscow, voted in new councils.
Neeme Raud, ERR's corespondent in Moscow, said there is no excitement in the air and people are not interested in the election results
Deputy head of the independent election watchdog Golos, Grigory Melkonjants, said the lack of interest comes from the banning of opposition candidates from running for office.
“The problem of non-participation is not only apparent in Moscow but also in the regions. The main reason is that a great many independent and opposition candidates were not allowed to participate nor run campaigns,” Melkonjants said.
United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin, is expected to win across the nation as the final votes are being counted.