4 Duma Parties in Pact, Source Says

In a first, United Russia has struck a deal under which the other three parliamentary parties are “pretending to play the opposition” in exchange for guarantees that they will secure seats in the next State Duma, a high-ranking elections official said.

The agreement, which comes amid an all-out drive to secure votes for United Russia, provides an indication that the Kremlin might be panicking ahead of Sunday’s elections as it faces an unexpected development: growing discontent with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and United Russia’s domination of the political landscape.

The elections official said the three smaller Duma parties — the Communist Party, the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party, or LDPR, and the left-leaning A Just Russia — have agreed not to hinder United Russia from getting the percent of the vote it wants in exchange for a promise that they will clear the 7 percent threshold to win Duma seats.     Full Read

The Moscow Times