Word: duma
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...authoritarian government. And as Putin's grip on the media tightened last week, so did his control of Russian party politics. Otechestvo, a party headed by former Putin rivals Yuri Luzhkov and Yevgeni Primakov, announced that it would merge with the pro-Putin Yedvinstvo party in November; two more Duma factions threw their lot in with the new force, giving the government a 235-vote majority. Though the Kremlin maintains its actions are financially motivated, many observers don't buy it. "This is a real media pogrom," says political analyst Lilia Shevtsova. "And it's no coincidence the Kremlin...
...care? Earlier this month, thousands of Russians protested the imminent crackdown on NTV. But when it finally came, no one took to the streets. Though polls show that 59% of the population support the "old" NTV, Putin's approval ratings remain high. Some expect the Kremlin to disband the Duma and call early elections to ensure the emerging pro-Putin party gains total control of the parliament's lower house...
...RUSSIA Personal Choices President Vladimir Putin put his stamp on Russia's government with significant changes to the Cabinet that he inherited a year ago from Boris Yeltsin. Out went Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, to be replaced by Putin's closest confidant, Sergey Ivanov. Duma Deputy Boris Gryzlov, who in his first year in high politics has become best known for unquestioning devotion to the President, took over the Interior Ministry from Vladimir Rushailo. And the Defense Ministry acquired its first female deputy minister, financial specialist Lyubov Kudelina...
...appointed at this meeting to head the new board of directors are real losers. They're widely described as having a questionable past, and the speaker of the lower house of the Duma even referred to them as "sort of swindlers." To make matters worse, the Communist Party, which hates NTV, has now swung round to support it against the takeover, because one of the men Putin has put in charge is an American, Boris Jordan. It's like he was trying to see how many toes he could tread on simultaneously. The Kremlin has alienated a number of different...
Iosif Kobzon is a famous singer, prosperous businessman and influential member of the Duma. He is known as the Russian Sinatra both for his talent and for his alleged Mafia ties. But he will not be singing in the United States: last month the U.S. embassy in Moscow turned down his visa application for the third time. Oleg Deripaska, head of the giant firm Russian Aluminum, did not attend the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos last week; the group withdrew its invitation after a fellow businessman filed a lawsuit accusing him of bribery and racketeering. Sergei Mikhailov...