Russians go to the polls Sunday in dozens of local elections. The results will be closely watched, as they will reveal whether voters are unhappy with Russia’s ruling United Russia party. Earlier in the day, Kremlin critic Navalny was suspected of being poisoned.
The 44-year-old Navalny had hoped to weaken the United Russia party’s control over local power. He urged his supporters to use tactical means to vote against the party. But his health has since seriously deteriorated. Germany and Navalny’s allies say an attempt was made last month to poison him.
The United Russia party is a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The party is dominant in local power. But the local elections coincided with years of public discontent over falling wages and the government’s handling of the new coronavirus epidemic.
In addition, the local elections are seen as a rehearsal for next September’s parliamentary elections. The local elections will elect the leaders of 18 regions, as well as members of a number of local and city councils.
Voting began early on Friday. Authorities had previously extended the voting period to three days. Grossi, an independent election watchdog group, criticized the move, saying the extension would make it more difficult for monitors to detect fraud at polling stations.
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