Russia expects international observers to come up with recommendations on the improvement of the country’s electoral legislation after the December 4 parliamentary election, says first deputy speaker of the Federation Council Aleksandr Torshin. “You have a long parliamentary tradition in your countries, and we would you not only to monitor the election, but also to [...]
Tag: Federation
December 2, 2011
November 26, 2011
Presidential campaign officially kicks off in Russia
The presidential election campaign officially started in Russia on Saturday, with the polls scheduled to take place on March 4, 2012. The Russian parliament’s upper house, the Federation Council, set the date of the elections on Friday. The decree came into force on Saturday after being published by Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta Russian Prime [...]
November 25, 2011
UK halts military data sharing with Russia
Britain will stop sharing military information with Russia over Moscow’s decision to freeze compliance with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), a government minister said on Friday. The treaty imposes ceilings on the build-up of troops and forces from the Atlantic to the Urals. “For as long as the Russian Federation fails [...]
November 25, 2011
Russian upper house to set presidential elections for March 4, 2012
The Federation Council, the upper house of Russian parliament, will on Friday set presidential elections for March 4, 2012. In line with the law on presidential elections, the vote should take place on the second Sunday of the month of the previous presidential polls. But in 2012, the second Sunday of March will be a [...]
November 11, 2011
Lukashenko warns of superpower threat
With the events of 2011 in mind, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko praises military-technical cooperation with Russia after reviewing the results of a joint military exercise held with Russian forces. “The military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation has proven fruitful,” Lukashenko said on Friday. “Military cooperation between Belarus and Russia makes the countries stronger as members [...]
November 8, 2011
Abkhazia, South Ossetia Alarmed By Russia-Georgia WTO Compromise
The de facto authorities in the breakaway Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have expressed concern and outrage over the implications of the Swiss-mediated compromise between Georgia and Russia that paves the way for Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Whether they can thwart the signing and implementation of that agreement is [...]
November 5, 2011
Russia and Czech Republic level after Fed Cup final Day 1
The Czech Republic and Russia have both drawn blood in the Federation Cup final in Moscow. After two Saturday matches the teams are tied at one win each, which means everything will begin from scratch on Sunday. Petra Kvitova put the Czech Republic into a one rubber to nil lead. She easily overcame Russia’s Maria [...]
November 3, 2011
South Ossetia Election Plot Thickens
It is becoming increasingly difficult to say whether the presidential election campaign in Georgia’s breakaway Republic of South Ossetia is a geopolitical thriller, a soap opera with a cast dominated by former wrestling champions, a farce — or a combination of all three. The republic’s Central Election Commission (TsIK) has registered a total of 17 [...]
October 31, 2011
Zvonareva excited about Czech test in Fed Cup finals
Russian tennis star Vera Zvonareva expects a tough clash against the Czech Republic in the upcoming Federation Cup finals. “When it comes down to the Fed Cup finals, the emotions are special. You can never experience that when you play individual competition. And definitely that emotion will bring a lot of determination, a lot of [...]
October 31, 2011
Nashi vs. Nationalists in Unity Day march-off
The Russian youth movement Nashi has said it is planning its own Russian March on the Day of National Unity when 10,000 people of various ethnic origins will celebrate their Russian spirit. Nashi’s event is planned as a response to the traditional Russian March – a rally of ethnic Russian nationalists who claim that the [...]
October 27, 2011
Russian parliament speaker says election system imperfect
Russia’s election system is not perfect and has some serious problems, the speaker of the Russian parliament’s upper house said ahead of the December parliamentary elections. “There are problems and they are very serious. The election system is definitely not perfect,” newly appointed Speaker of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko said in an interview [...]
October 26, 2011
U.S. has ‘nuclear superiority’ over Russia
Data published by the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday indicates that the United States has some 300 more deployed nuclear weapons than Russia. According to New START Treaty Aggregate Numbers of Strategic Offensive Arms facts sheet, posted on the State Department’s website, the United States has 822 deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers, while [...]
October 15, 2011
Upper house backs Matviyenko’s bid to trim committees
Senior members of the upper house of the Russian parliament approved Friday a proposal from newly appointed Speaker Valentina Matviyenko to slash the number of committees, the speaker’s press service said on Saturday. “In a bid to improve the work of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko proposed cutting the number of committees and commissions … [...]
October 11, 2011
Belarus agrees to Russian building of nuclear station
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko agreed on Tuesday that Russia should build the country’s first, $9 billion nuclear power station. “It is only today that I’ve signed the resolution and agreed to sign a contract with the Russian Federation to build our first nuclear power station,” he told a meeting with a Russian governor. “The decision [...]