The Political and Economic Results of October 2012

Abstract

The October 2012 single day of voting produced approximately the same results for United Russia as were achieved by it in the 2011 parliamentary elections. The CPRF also had a good showing at the polls. The two other parliamentary parties – Fair Russia and the LDPR – did not manage to overcome the electoral threshold in most of the regions. The new parties created after the recent liberalization of the electoral law did not manage to achieve much success either. October saw the conclusion of the biggest transaction for years involving the Russian State. Rosneft bought out 100% of shares in TNK-BP from both the Russian shareholders and the British Petroleum. This transaction has indicated that, despite numerous official assurances to the contrary, the real course of the Russian government is not towards privatization of big-ticket properties but towards their nationalization.