MOSCOW, October 5 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian Central Elections Commission (CEC) completed the attestation of the party lists on Wednesday. The United Russia party list was the last one, which the CEC attested.
The party list of the ruling party has 599 candidates in 80 regional groups. Contrary to other parties, the United Russia federal list has only one candidate – incumbent President Dmitry Medvedev.
Thus, all seven parties, which the Justice Ministry registered, passed the attestation of their lists. The CEC elaborated that this procedure was introduced in the legislation particularly for the convenience of the parties. The attestation gives them an opportunity to repair in advance all mistakes and inaccuracies in the information that are inevitable in such a big number of candidates.
In fact, the standard number of documents, which the parties passed for attestation, makes an average of six standard paper boxes. As far as the number of candidates is concerned, no party ‘elected’ the maximum permissible number of 600 candidates. United Russia with 599 candidates, the Communist Party with 595 candidates and Fair Russia with 585 candidates turned out to be most close to this level. Other four parties nominated less than 400 candidates at the party congresses. Otherwise, the Liberal Democratic Party, Yabloko, the Patriots of Russia and Right Cause showed formally that they do not seek for all 450 State Duma seats. Meanwhile, each party had slight ‘losses’ in the interval between nomination and approval of the party list. A total of 80 candidates quitted the party lists for various reasons. Some hopefuls did not turn 21 and some others failed to collect urgently the required documents.
Thus, a little bit more than 3,080 candidates are running for 450 deputy mandates after the approval of the party lists. Otherwise, ‘the contest’ for a deputy seat makes less than seven people. After the approval of the party lists a total number of candidates may only go down, a CEC source told Itar-Tass on Wednesday. Passing this procedure, the parties already cannot add more candidates to the party list or move them to other positions in the party list. They can only quit the party list.
The number of regional groups in the party lists is very close in all parties. The highest number of 83 regional groups has the Patriots of Russia. The lowest number of 73 regional groups has the Communist Party and Right Cause. Five parties enjoyed the novelty in the legislation that increased the number of candidates from three to ten people in the federal party list. If at the previous State Duma elections the term of ‘the first trio’ was used, the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, Yabloko, the Patriots of Russia and Right Cause are on the top first ten now. United Russia was already said to put only the incumbent president on the federal list. Fair Russia also differed from other parties with eight candidates on the top of its party list.
Without taking United Russia into account, no sensations were observed with the candidates on the top of the party lists. Invariable party leaders are on the top of the party lists in most cases: Vladimir Zhirinovsky (LDPR), Gennady Zyuganov (CPRF) and Gennady Semigin (the Patriots of Russia). Sergei Mironov, who tops the Fair Russia party list, remains the definite party leader, though he is not the formal party chairman. Grigory Yavlinsky came back in big politics with the status of the Yabloko founder. Perhaps, Right Cause turned out to be in the most extraordinary situation. Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov was ousted as the party leader on September 15, a lawyer unknown to the voters Andrei Dunayev, who was appointed an acting party chairman, will lead the rightists at the State Duma elections.
The registration is due to be launched in the State Duma campaign on Wednesday. The Liberal Democrats acted urgently in this respect. The party passed the attestation and passed the documents to the CEC for registration back on September 26. The CEC will consider this issue at its second meeting on Wednesday. The LDPR has real chances to open a new stage of campaigning and to become the first registered party. After the registration the party turns out to be an official runner in the elections and people put on the party list receive the status of candidates to deputies.
Other hopefuls for deputy seats have another two weeks to file the documents for registration. The application deadline expires at 6 p.m. Moscow time on October 19. Three parliamentary parties, namely Yabloko, the Patriots of Russia and Right Cause, should gather no less than 150,000 signatures in more than a half of Russian Federation constituents. ‘The parliamentary quartet’ – United Russia, the CPRF, the LDPR and Fair Russia are relieved from this requirement under the law. The Russian CEC has ten days for registration of the party. Thus, Russia will know on October 30 the parties, which will be put on the ballot papers at the State Duma elections due on December 4.