Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Let's have an election

Jeff Silva-Brown, who teaches at Ukiah High School in California, pointed out this article. It's valuable for the photo if not for the information it contains. Thanks, Jeff.

President Medvedev officially scheduled the Duma election in Russia for December 4. That will set the stage for the presidential election in March 2012.

Who will the candidate(s) be? Putin acts like he's already running (still).

Russia's Putin revs up vote campaign astride a bike

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin kicked off an election campaign… revving up his three-wheeled Harley Davidson at the head of a bikers motorcade -- the latest in a series of macho stunts that have punctuated his political career…

Putin's United Russia party is hoping to secure a two-thirds majority in December's vote for the Duma lower house of parliament -- a margin that would give it the power to change the constitution…

Putin's testosterone-fueled appearances have earned him the nickname "alpha-dog" in U.S. diplomatic cables. In the past he has been pictured sparring with his judo coach, flying a fighter jet and hunting Siberian tigers.

In Novorossiysk on Monday, he rode along as the hard-rock anthem of the "Night Wolves" biker club blared in the background…