The Communists seem more like the party of frustration, it's not that people like them but that the Communists are the closest thing to an alternative. I expect Putin to win, but the fact that his party machine couldn't manufacture better results says something about his organization. It might not be the ultimate alliance of Russian elites, bureaucrats and social leaders that we thought it was. Don't interpret that to meant that there is real hope of change or accountability, there isn't going to be any. It just means that Putin might not have the control he would like.
As for spending, if the global economy sinks again (which from your articles it might very well do) Russia will start to be very hard pressed for cash.b

I absolutely agree with you, are there even people who believe if Putin is still in Russian politics something will be changed, there will be democracy or anything like that! I don't even dare think what will happen if he continues his authoritarian rule for several years more.... Man & Van

Putin needs to force the opposition parties and their candidates to have a series of 30 nationally televised debates over the next six months (in which he does not participate) hosted by CNN, Fox News, Donald Trump,. Responses are limited to one or two minutes, and odd little quirky moments are all ruthlessly reported in the media.

He'll hit 80%, easy.

Putin strikes me as a man who is uncomfortable with rebukes. In his ideal world, the 'party of power' would always have a Constitutional majority in the Duma, with a tame opposition allowed to squawk for the sake of appearances. His problem is that even with a moderately democratic process, the governing party always loses popularity – people realise that politicians are greedy incompetents. In my view, Putin has two options (both of which he will pursue) – a serious 'talk' with opposition leaders to 'request' them to be a little bit more restrained and respectful, and a significant shuffle among the more visible members of UR, perhaps in a 'purge-style' corruption investigation (to say "see – it is all the fault of these sell-out traitors that Russia was not perfect, but now it will be!).

I personally find this quick comment very interesting an direct (as the previous one regarding the change in the structure of the "tandem").

I do agree that after a quite hidden discontent showed up among the governing elite, something definitely more cleared emerged from the society. We cannot make any serious political consideration starting from the "booing" actions which took place in the last weeks in Russia, but we can try a more accurate analysis now, after the results are definitive.

No doubts about the meaning of this clear defeat. 15% of votes lost, with a turnout pretty similar to the 2007 one is a very bad injure for a party which was born and grew portraying itself as the "party of the nations", of all Russians.

However a first consideratio has to be made. It was a defeat, not a catastrophe and this for mainly two reasons. UR did not make it over the 50%, but it stands very near to it, very different would have been if it would have gained even just 47%. Second element is where the lost UR votes went and they basically went "all over". We did not see a consistent movement of votes towards only one party, but an increase of the percentage of the "existing parties" (I mean the parties previously represented in the Duma). Very different would have been if the KPRF would have reached the 25-27%. It did not and simbolically did not make it as well over 20% as Fair Russia and LDPR had good performances.

Secondly, these parties are parties that will very probably never set up something like a coalition among themselves. The KPRF and its veteran leader Zjuganov are too proud of their beignalways second to compromise with others (and with thei chameleon program try to gain consensus both from communist voters as well as from nationalist or patriotic ones); the LDPR and Zhirinovsky as well, that party is a one-man-party, which leaves of the actions (and sometimes fists) of its leader (the one who suggested to Condoleeza Rice to let a Russian soldier pay her certain attentions, who said he dreams about Russian soldiers wet their boots in the Indian Ocean etc etc). Finally, Fair Russia deserves some more attention: the party was a clear invention of the Kremlin, set to weaken the communists; however, following encouraging electoral results (and enjoying popularity among UR discontents) it started to live on its own and grew more and more critical (Right Cause could be taken as example of another "Surkov's operation", this time with the goal to maintain divided the already spread and electorally inconsistent liberal opposition). Fair Russia is a rising star and is developing an interesting platform (the one of the New Socialism), which gains power from its being different from the existent. This means that too many compromises with other subjects would weaken it.

Then, given my opinion on the results of yesterday's elections, I would pass to the Presidential ones; again I agree with Daniel Drezner, Putin will win them and in my opinion will avoid the possibility of a run-off.
First, the President-in-pectore still remains a very attractive figure for many (if not most) of the Russians, secondly, as reported in the article, the wake-up call effect will make its effect.
The strategists of the Kremlin are very wise in the knowledge of a balanced use of different means..a little bit of confrontational behavior regarding the shield (and Syria or Iran?), a little bit of spending increases, a little bit of those organized public events, a little bit of low-intensity repression and definitely a big investment on the figure of Putin himself as something "other" in respect to UR.

The party, with its appointing governors, its bureaucrats, its scandals, is definitely weakened, but this cannot be automatically translated into a weakening of Putin himself. We saw signs of discontent, clear ones, but Putin the Man have definitely more chances to maintain or even increase its position in this situation.

These are times of great threats..but great possibilities as well! Look at what happened in these days in the elections in Slovenia and you will have an example. Different and uncomparable situations, but Putin is far from being left with his last shot.

On one thing I however do not agree with the author. I am convinced that the heart of the topic of political change in Russia does not lie in if the Russian perceive the KPRF, the LDPR or Fair Russia as workable alternatives..but if the majority of Russians is actually ready to accept any kind of structural change. I am convinded it is not ready to accept that.

A big part of the Russian population is still licking its wounds since 1991 and definitely most of it would never return to a situation like the one of the 90s, the age of one of the greatest robbery of former public wealth ever seen in human's history. Fierce competitiong and effectively compeeting alternatives characterised that period: Eltsin at the Kremlin and the red-brown coalition in the Duma. Exactly in the same period Russian started to refer to democracy as "deracratia", a coinage uniting "shit", derma, and democracy.
Putin's refusal of "revolution", in favour of "evolution", is still in my opinion a very attractive element for most of the Russians (I would say even more than what the recent electoral results could suggest us).

The system might be corrupt and rusty, but better the system than anarchy. This I think could summarize the opinion of many Russian citizens.

Finally, when it comes to "grass-roots democracy movement", I think this type of movement is definitely not even in sight in Russia.
I am convinced a new type of "otherness" is growing in former soviet lands, not anymore the communist one; Russia and its neighbouring countries have been exposed since 20 years to western carrot and stick and, to various extents, resisted to calls for intergation at various levels (excluded the Baltic Tigers).

Now that the existing economic order is subject to nearly fatal attacks coming from within itself, now that the EU looks definitely less attractive than how it did just 2 years ago, now there is maybe a real window of opportunity for those projects like the Union State, the Customs Union, the CSTO and finally the Eurasian Union to come to something more defined and structured.

Unfortunately such political athmosphere is not only typical for Russia, but for many ex-Soviet block countries. It's pattern that would take long to eradicate. N. Homes

So let's see.

In Russia they have the choice between

1 -- an obligarchical authoritarian anti-Western party
2 -- a unreconstructed communist authoritarian anti-Western Party
3 -- an anti-Semetic authoritarian anti-Western Party
4 -- a left wing nationalist authoritarian anti-Western Party

Sounds good.

I suspect some of this is hype by the media, and Putin is probably in little danger of not retaining control, especially if oil prices stay at these levels. IN our country, we have a president who has a low 40% approval rating who likely get re-elected just because the alternatives are not credible. There does not seem to be a credible atlernative unlike say in the Middle East where they always have their Islam to turn to.

“Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone.” Political capital is the same. Once their ignorance is blighted, once people catch on, the bloom is gone. Putin’s only way back is to raise fears, create enemies and present himself as the only solution. And that way,as ever, madness lies. By tennis apparel

Vlad Putin should get inspiration and instructions from the BushCheneyRumsfeld gang, How they tricked the election to get AlGore out and disqualified thousands of blacks from voting, how to have recounts of votes made with computers, how they used media lies and propaganda to create fear among the population (orange and red terrorist attack alerts), how they standardized and legalized torture, how they removed their citizen,s rights with the Patriot Act, how they had accepted by the congress billions for the military and wars (to makes their shares in Exxon, Halliburton, Carlyle, Raythion, etc... raise on the stock market), how they with their friend Paulson, fleeced the remaining of the middle class and the poor tax payer to accept the coup of the banks (lately GoldmanSachs) against the government, and gift their directors and traders with bonuses creating a mammouth financial crisis.______Vladimir did not learn anything from the gang, shame on him.