Russian locals, 8th September: UR weakened in Moscow by joint opposition list

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Regional elections in Russia yesterday, of which the two most important were the St Petersburg gubernatorial (which will probably be won by Putin ally Alexander Beglov after the withdrawal of his Communist opponent and - more interestingly - the Moscow Duma, where the UR lost 15 seats (although retaining its majority, with 25 seats out of 45). The latter election saw an election pact of sorts between the Communists, A Just Russia and Yabloko, with Alexei Navalny himself imploring his supporters to vote for Communists despite them often being considered a faux opposition force. (A shift that has been criticized by other opposition figures like Kasparov).

UR also suffered badly in the Eastern province of Khabarovsk, which was swept by the far right LDPR. The ruling party still has a lot of support, both public and institutional, but it seems a broad anger at a recent retirement age increase has damaged their brand.