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Outcome of Russia`s parliamentary elections not expected to have any impact on bilateral relations with Belarus, expert says

The outcome of Russia’s Sunday parliamentary elections is not expected to have any impact on the country’s relations with Belarus, political expert Valery Karbalevich said in an interview with BelaPAN.

“The government in Russia has not changed," said Mr. Karbalevich. "Moreover, the parliament only exercises a restricted influence on the country’s foreign policy.”

However, the fact that the votes are really counted in Russia may prompt people in Belarus to think about electoral practices in their own country, the expert suggested. “It appears that the votes are still counted in Russia despite criticism of a lack of democracy in the country. The outcome of the poll shows that the ruling party has performed below expectations. Something similar to this was last observed in Belarus 17 years ago.”

With 96 percent of the votes counted as of 10:00 a.m. on December 5, the United Russia party is the clear winner of the elections with 49.5 percent, which gives it 238 seats in the State Duma (the country`s lower chamber), according to the Russian central election commission`s website. It is followed by 19.16 percent (92 seats) for the runner-up Communist Party, 13.2 percent (64 seats) for the Just Russia party, and 11.66 percent (56 seats) for the Liberal Democratic Party.