In a first, Russia is opening a polling station in India

[Adnan Faruqi]

In a first, Russia is opening a polling station in India

Moscow: In a first, Russia is opening a polling station in Goa to enable its citizens to cast their vote to elect the State Duma -- lower house of the Parliament on Sunday.

"The voting will be held at from 11 AM to 15 PM on Sunday the residence of the Indian lawyer looking after Russian interests in Goa," Russian Consul General Alexei Novikov was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS news agency.

Being the tourist season there are over 10,000 Russian citizens holidaying or living in the popular Indian resort and arrangements have been made through hotels to inform them of the opportunity to vote.

Besides, polling stations for the Russian nationals will be open in the country's embassy in New Delhi and consulates in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

The Russian technical experts posted in the Indian defence and civilian installations have already cast their votes in early polling at Bareilly, Chandigarh, Vishakhapattanam and Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.

Meanwhile, polling stations opened in the country's far eastern parts of Kamchatka and Yakutiya.

According to the Chairman of Central Election Commission Vladimir Churov over one hundred thousand polling stations will be open across the country spread over nine time zones beginning from 8 AM to 8 PM local time.

The early returns are to be announced arround 9 PM Moscow time (10.30 IST) after the polling stations close in the westernmost Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

India's Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi is in Russia to monitor Duma polls along with over 700 international monitors crucial polls to elect sixth post Soviet parliament of the country at which after 12 years of 'managed democracy' the ruling United Russia party of Vladimir Putin is set to lose its absolute majority in the 450-strong lower house.

Various opinion polls carried out before the elections forecast the loss of absolute majority by the United Russia in the new house.

Formally chaired by Vladimir Putin, United Russia had 315 seats in the fifth Duma, which allowed him as Prime Minister to push through unpopular laws shelving Soviet era perks like free healthcare and education.

Opinion polls indicated that majority of Russians are indifferent to the Duma elections as the polls are expected be won by United Russia, the Communist Party of Russian Federation (KPRF), the ultranationalist LDPR and A Just Russia, which are already represented in the lower house while the three outsiders - Yabloko, the Right Cause and Patriots of Russia are unlikely to cross 7 per cent votes threshold.

The KPRF and A Just Russia party of ex-upper house chairman Sergei Mironov are expected to mostly gain from anti-incumbency wave in the regions. Over 3 hundred thousand police and 10 thousand interior ministry troops have been deployed across the country to prevent any untoward incidents and ensure security.

http://zeenews.**********/news/goa/in-a-first-russia-is-opening-a-polling-station-in_745286.html

 

[Humanist]

something new and different for me... good going russia...

 

[Tshering22]

But from what I read from Russian people's writings, they don't like Putin. They say he was good during the first term but later power spoilt him and now he's become the Czar in a so-called democracy. There's a large section of Russian society that doesn't like Putin's Mao/Stalinist attitude. In fact, there was an article that mentioned after Putin's announcement to return to presidency, around 2 million Russians have risen in terms of those applying for migrant visa to other countries.

This is not good for Russia.

 

[Hussein]

Seems so Tshering.

What i am worried for them is that they have especially low fertility rate.
Demographics of Russia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I hope they can find solution for corruption and for this matter.
It is not always easy: see in Germany they give a lot of money for the mom who stops to work to grow up kid but it was not enough to motivate them...

 

[Tshering22]

Seems so Tshering.

What i am worried for them is that they have especially low fertility rate.
Demographics of Russia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I hope they can find solution for corruption and for this matter.
It is not always easy: see in Germany they give a lot of money for the mom who stops to work to grow up kid but it was not enough to motivate them...

In Russia the problem is people are not getting married. Because the government offers benefits of having kids, they consider it as something embarrassing and something that challenges their capability to stand on their feet. This makes them feel that getting those benefits means one is not able to manage oneself financially.

Russians have to get out of that mentality if they have to save their country.

---------- Post added at 05:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:40 PM ----------

Seems so Tshering.

What i am worried for them is that they have especially low fertility rate.
Demographics of Russia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I hope they can find solution for corruption and for this matter.
It is not always easy: see in Germany they give a lot of money for the mom who stops to work to grow up kid but it was not enough to motivate them...

In Russia the problem is people are not getting married. Because the government offers benefits of having kids, they consider it as something embarrassing and something that challenges their capability to stand on their feet. This makes them feel that getting those benefits means one is not able to manage oneself financially.

Russians have to get out of that mentality if they have to save their country.

 

[boris]

Will the Russian Mafia in Goa vote too??

 

[T90TankGuy]

the Russians have literally taken over Goa . most of morjem and south Goa like cavelosim and colva are filled with these guys.

 

[pmukherjee]

But from what I read from Russian people's writings, they don't like Putin. They say he was good during the first term but later power spoilt him and now he's become the Czar in a so-called democracy. There's a large section of Russian society that doesn't like Putin's Mao/Stalinist attitude. In fact, there was an article that mentioned after Putin's announcement to return to presidency, around 2 million Russians have risen in terms of those applying for migrant visa to other countries.

This is not good for Russia.

There is much truth in what you say. It is very difficult for people of Putin's generation not to be nostalgic about totalitarian Soviet Union. They continue to draw inspiration from the greatness of the USSR. The fact that this greatness came at the cost of much oppression of ordinary Russians and a brutal suppression of dissent is of little significance to people in power. As a matter of fact, Russia has not known democracy for the last 600 years since the inception of the Tsardom. Autocracy is all that Russia has seen, be it the Tsardom or the Russian empire or the USSR. Infact, Russia has never been as democratic as it has been since the collapse of the USSR. To many Russians, Putin embodies the autocratic ways of the USSR. It is only when the post USSR generations start taking over control of the polity will a break from the past be visible in Russia. Till then, it will be 'more of the same'.......in varying degrees.
We are however not affected by the internal mechanics of Russia. Russia does present a very strong and independent foreign policy under former Soviet Intelligence big wigs like Putin and that is what affects us.

 

[Vasily Zaytsev]

Now days all the signboards are in English as well in Russian in Goa. In coming years, Russian will be the major language of Goa. The Russians have literally taken over the Goa...........the "mob" as well........and here on this forum people day dream of Russia India conflict............the Russians can be found in Ajmer as well in great numbers......GOI's rough estimate says more than 20000 Russians present In India at any point of time of the year.....

 

[Vasily Zaytsev]

and this is one of the reasons.......


Now, long-stay Russians flock to Goa on new rules - Times Of India


Now, long-stay Russians flock to Goa on new rules
Andrew Pereira, TNN Nov 13, 2011, 04.47AM IST
Tags:

Season 2011-12 seems|
Russian tourists

PANAJI: Season 2011-12 seems to have a bright dawn... at least for Russian tourists and their patrons in the tourism industry in Goa, after the Indian government relaxed visa rules for Russia.

At Morjim beach, Russian tourists enjoying a meal at a shack called 'Fish 'n' Feni' on Saturday afternoon were only too pleased with the change in the scheme of things. "Well, I'm working in Moscow and am here for two weeks, but I definitely think this (visa relaxation) is a good move. If I had the chance to stay on I would have stayed here for a longer time," said Tanya Samsonova.

"Russian tourists are now permitted a six-month tourist visa as against last year's three-month visa," says a happy Jeny Madeira, the shack's owner.

Visa rules were tightened across the country last year in view of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. Given the drop from a six-month visa to a three-month visa, several of Goa's long-stay visitors had opted to give the state a miss last season. This was especially as under the three-month visa rule, they had to leave the country for a cooling period of two months before they could return on another three-month visa. The present relaxation (on both, tourist and business visas) is applicable for Russians alone.