Putin's party set to retain parliament majority after pollsThe elections were also marred by claims of censorship and rampant ballot stuffingMOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin's party was set Sunday to retain a majority in parliament on the last day of three-day elections in which most Kremlin critics were barred from running. People in effect have no choice," 43-year-old businessman Vladimir Zakharov told AFP in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg. Going into the lower house State Duma vote, Putin's United Russia party was polling at historical lows. But the ruling party is widely expected to retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house, allowing it to push through legislative changes without resistance. "In our battle between David and Goliath, we definitely still have the opportunity to launch the stone," he wrote on Telegram.

Source: Bangkok Post September 19, 2021 07:41 UTC