The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Moscow

Russian newspapers questioned Tuesday whether weekend elections were really the resounding success the Kremlin had hoped for and pointed out that President Vladimir Putin's government could face some turbulent days ahead. The broadsheet newspapers Kommersant and Nezavisimaya both reported that the Kremlin was disappointed with the 64.1 percent received by Putin's United Russia party after Sunday's parliamentary polls, as evidenced, Kommersant said, by Putin's failure to join election night celebrations. The problem, said the newspapers, was that the result -- though high by Western standards -- was lower than the support for Putin registered at the country's last presidential election in 2004. That was disappointing, the papers said, because the elections had been specifically billed by the Kremlin as a referendum on the Russian leader.