The Gazeta daily reports on Russia’s biggest-scale, in terms of organization, elections to the local bodies of government on Sunday. Election campaigns were held in this country’s 75 regions. The ruling United Russia party has secured a majority in regional parliaments. By preliminary reports United Russia put on the most impressive performance in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district by polling some 70% of the votes. The party was least supported in the Sverdlovsk region (over 40% of the votes). Officials of the three other Duma parties, namely the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Just Russia Party have said they are generally content with the regional election returns.
According to the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily, Moscow and Washington are close to signing a Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, START. Accoridng to experts, Moscow may well persuade Americans of the need not to make unilateral moves in the field of national missile defence, which many experts directly link to START. A new treaty should feature the point that any of the two parties to the treaty is free to withdraw from the agreement with prior notification of the other side if it comes to believe that its national security is facing an emergency threat that’s incompatible with adherence to the treaty. When ratifying a new treaty, Russia will, besides, make a unilateral statement that Moscow may see as one such threat a deployment of the US missile defence system that will pose a threat to the Russian nuclear deterrence force.
Many mass media sum up the results of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to India. The Rossiyskaya Gazeta singles out the principled agreement on handing over The Admiral Gorshkov Russian aircraft carrier to Delhi in late 2012. The aircraft carrier will be armed with MIG-29 fighter planes. The Russian Prime Minister said during an online conference that had been organized with the assistance of the Voice of Russia, that Russia would help Delhi in the field of nanotechnology and space research. The parties to the Delhi talks also reached agreement on building up to 16 nuclear reactors in India.
The State Duma has passed in the first reading the presidential draft law on a more humane treatment of those suspected of economic crimes. Accoridng to the Rossyiskaya Gazeta, those suspected or accused of economic crimes will not be held in custody pending trial, but will be let out on bail. Accoridng to experts, if adopted, a law will provide for a wider use of preventive measures other than incarceration. These are recognizance not to leave, personal surety, house arrest and bail.
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