Rodina Surprises in Sakhalin
Staff Writer
MOSCOW - The nationalist Rodina party created an upset in Sakhalin on Sunday, coming out ahead of the pro-Kremlin United Russia in elections to the island's regional legislature. United Russia, however, topped the party vote in two other regions, Irkutsk and the republic of Marii-El. The mixed results for United Russia came after its leaders declared their intention of taking control of as many regional legislatures as possible. In Sakhalin, Rodina - standing under the name "Rodina-Sakhalin and the Kurills" - won 20 percent of the party list vote, narrowly ahead of United Russia with 18 percent and the Communists with 16 percent. A total of 11 parties and blocs contested the elections, while 13 percent voted against all. The elections in Irkutsk, the republic of Marii-El and Sakhalin were for the first time held according to the new system of electing regional legislatures, under which half of the seats are elected from party lists, with the other half decided by single-mandate contests. In the Western Siberian region of Irkutsk, United Russia won 30 percent of the votes, ahead of the Communists with 13 percent. Almost 12 percent of the voters cast their ballots "against all," Interfax reported, citing preliminary results released by regional election officials. Rodina came fourth in the region with 9 percent of the vote. Last month in Irkutsk, an unidentified gunman shot and killed two Rodina campaigners, Marina Marakhovskaya and Yan Travinsky. Rodina party leader Dmitry Rogozin called the murders political. In the republic of Marii-El, United Russia won the party vote with 34 percent, ahead of the Communists with 18 percent and the Agrarians with 13 percent. More that 12 percent voted against all. President Vladimir Putin last month announced plans to scrap the popular vote for regional leaders in favor of a system under which the president will nominate candidates for approval by regional legislatures. United Russia already has factions in two-thirds of the country's 88 legislatures and has a majority of seats in 12.
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