How do the Russians elect their parliament?

[ag]

It's PR w/ 7% nationwide threshold and lots of regional lists (some parties register more than a 100). Who actually gets seated depends on the number of votes for a given party in a given region.  The system is used for the first time and is entirely untried. Zhirinovsky's LDPR is expected to be on the edge of qualifying (it's usually within the 5%-10% range, so until now it always qualified, as the threshold has only been rased from 5% to 7% at this eleciton). Actually, only 1 party (the official United Russia) is sure of qualifying. The second government-sponsored entity (Just Russia) should also make it.  Communists should have enough of residual support to make it (possibly to become the only real opposition). Zhirinovsky's "KGB"-sponsored outfit is likely to be allowed back - people like to have some free circus, and the government has reliable support from those quarters, anyway.  The formerly liberal (in the European sense) "Union of Rightist Forces" might still be allowed to return - assuming they lick enough backsides in the presidential administration and promise to behave.

Don't worry. The best you can hope from the Duma in the forthcoming term is that it provides good competition to the two circuses that Moscow already has. In that regard, Lugovoi's presence might be useful.  If it fails even at that worthy artistic endeavor, we might as well forget about mentioning it for the next few years.

[ag]

So, Lugovoi is second on the federal part of the Zhirinovsky's list - he is guaranteed the spot if the party gets 7% of the vote.

BTW, got a very "Russian" idea how not to let this happen. Once the lists are finalized (they can't be changed after a certain point), it could be announced that all those who do not resign from them before the election would not be eligible for British (European, American, etc.) visas for the entire term of the Duma. To make it stronger, one could also include their family members (would be superstrong, if Turkey, Egypt and Thailand - favorite Russian vacation spots - would also go along).  A lot of junior party goons, who, in any case, don't have much of a chance of gaining a Duma seat, would resign, rather than suffer the exclusion. Bingo: once a certain proportion of the candidates resign, the list may be disqualified

Not that this would ever happen, just to illustrate "how it is done in Russia".

[ag]

just to illustrate "how it is done in Russia".

Sometimes I think that you enjoy making everyone depressed.

(Only joking )

Oh no!  Even highway banditry can be fun, if you have the right attitude (and if you happen to be reading about it, without being subjected to it)