White House calls for fair elections in Russia

[Tender Branson]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday urged the Russian government to conduct upcoming elections in a "free, fair and democratic" manner, after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he could be a future prime minister.

"This is ultimately a matter for the people of Russia to decide," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters when asked for reaction to Putin's remarks. "We will be paying very close attention to the upcoming elections in Russia."

Putin's comments fitted a scenario rumored for some time in Moscow -- that the popular president could continue to wield power from the prime minister's chair after he leaves office next year, installing a loyal but weaker figure as president.

Perino said administration officials had only just seen reports of what Putin had said earlier on Monday.

"We urge them to conduct (upcoming elections) in a manner that is free, fair and democratic," she said, but declined any further comment.

President George W. Bush and other senior U.S. officials have criticized Putin in recent years for what they say is backsliding on democratic reforms in Russia.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3675490

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

How amusing.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

It would help if the President of the United States had the slightest bit of moral authority here.

[Hash]

How amusing.

[NDN]

It would help if the President of the United States had the slightest bit of moral authority here.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

It would help if the President of the United States had the slightest bit of moral authority here.

[Speed of Sound]

In a similar story, I am calling for elections in Russia to be more fair. The effect of this announcement seems to be similar to that of President Bush.


Also, Bush wants fair elections? Lol

[Tender Branson]

How amusing.

Indeed. I hope in a year from now on, representatives from the EU and Canada will call for fair elections in the US too ...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

All very amusing, right up until the point that you remember quite what "elections" in Russia are actually like these days.

Not that a plea from the U.S government, or anyone else for that matter, is going to change things at all.

[ag]

The "amusing" part is only that somebody bothers to call these "elections".  The rest of the merriment is misplaced: compared w/ what is about to happen in Russia every single election in the U.S. (at least, since the blacks got the effective right to vote in the South) has been exemplary and extraordinarily fair.

Just ask yourself a question: could Bush have lost in 2000 (or 2004 for that matter)? Well, Putin and his United Russia can't loose these forthcoming elections, no matter what the distribution of voter preferences (the fact that most voters love them, while true, is irrelevant here).

In my book any election where the winner is not known with certainty a year before the campaigning starts is fair enough. Unfortunately, the Russian "election" does not fit the bill.