Paul Goble
Staunton, Dec. 5 – Russia’s so-called “systemic” opposition parties, those which are able to elect deputies to parliaments at one or another level, seldom display much courage in Moscow, but in federal subjects far from the capital, they are increasingly speaking out against what some call “the hegemony” of United Russia, that country’s ruling political party.
The latest and in some ways the most radical of these moves had taken place in Karelia where deputies who are members of opposition parties walked out of a session of parliament after United Russia refused to have a discussion of their proposed amendments to the budget (ru.thebarentsobserver.com/v-karelii-deputaty-parlamenta-usli-s-zasedania-v-znak-protesta-protiv-gegemonii-edinoj-rossii/441843).
KPRF, Just Russia and Yabloko deputies walked out after United Russia used its position in the parliament to block any discussion of the 73 amendments to the 2026 budget that the three had proposed. After a rules committee said they should all be rejected out of hand, United Russia leaders of the parliament said discussion of the entire measure should not exceed 50 minutes.
In response, representatives of the three walked out; but that did not prevent United Russia and its allies in the LDPR, Pensioners’ Party and New People group from approving the budget without any of the amendments that the three protesting groups had insisted should be included.
Despite this failure, the opposition groups won a victory of sorts: They demonstrated that they and not the United Russia bloc is on the side of the population and its needs rather than automatic supporters of the optimization efforts that the Kremlin has insisted on in order to have money for Putin’s war in Ukraine.
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