RUSSIA

London Telegraph: Putin Takes Control Of
Parliament - Rules Like Czar

President Vladimir Putin took control of the Russian parliament last night, removing the last effective bastion of opposition to his rule and paving the way for him to assume Tsar-like power.

Exit polls last night gave United Russia, the president's party, 37 per cent of the vote, the Communists 15 per cent and Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democrats 12 per cent. Rodina, a new nationalist party, was predicted to have won nine per cent.

This would give Mr Putin's party and its allies about 58 per cent of the vote and return Russia to an era of single-party dominance after 12 years of vibrant, if corrupt, democracy.

"Schlimmer als Amerika ist Russland noch nicht. Mr. Bush und seine Republikanischen Freunde haben auch soviel Macht wie Putin"