Regional and municipal votes across the country were set to gauge the popularity of the ruling United Russia party amid anger at rising prices and unemployment after the global crisis abruptly ended 10 years of rapid economic growth.
Officials from the three largest opposition parties said they had seen little improvement from regional polls last year that they dubbed the dirtiest ever. They said they would reserve final judgement until after the vote count.
Widespread violations could boost a series of anti-government protests on March 20, six days after the poll.
Around 32 million of Russia’s 110 million registered voters are eligible to vote in polls, which include elections for eight regional parliaments. Opposition parties predicted a low turnout by voters disillusioned by a tightly controlled process.
“Nothing will change, it’s almost like it was under the Communists,” said driver Alexei Ivchenko, 46, in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fifth largest city. He voted for the left-leaning opposition Fair Russia as a protest against the authorities.
The elections come half way through Medvedev’s four year term as he struggles to demonstrate progress on a pledge to loosen the tight control of the political system introduced during Vladimir Putin’s eight years in the Kremlin.
