The Russian government has over-reacted to criticism of its recent elections. As Russian opposition supporters went on the streets to protest about the conduct of the elections, international monitors expressed deep concern over the elections. Instead of looking into the accusations, presidential candidate Vladimir Putin accused Russian protesters of acting "in their own mercenary political interests".
The polls showed a startling drop in support for Putin's party at the ballot box, indicating unhappiness with his decision to move back from being prime minister to reclaim the presidency after his side-kick Dmitry Medvedev's term comes to an end next March. The protesters thought that irregularities stopped the drop in support from going a lot further and possibly causing Putin to lose control of parliament.
The likelihood of Putin retaining power for another series of presidential terms means that his party's failures are not going to be questioned, which include issues like Russia's miserable economic record, its failure to tackle corruption, and its willingness to tolerate confusion between the state, large business and organised crime. But Putin is focusing on his anti-American rhetoric, convinced that revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan are all part of an American plot to destabilise him.
