Russia’s parliamentary vote faces criticism over opposition exclusions

Russia’s parliamentary election is being portrayed by several publications as tightly controlled, with opposition candidates barred and debate over the Ukraine war restricted. The press review also highlights Zinedine Zidane’s first France squad, a crocodile habitat chosen for Brisbane 2032 rowing events and the discovery of a new feline species.

Russia’s parliamentary election is the main focus of a France 24 press review, which describes the vote as the country’s first such election since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Early voting is under way, but the outcome is presented as largely predictable because parties supporting President Vladimir Putin dominate the ballot.

According to the review, The Moscow Times reported that opposition candidates had been prevented from standing. It cited the case of Iya Boronina, a politician from Udmurtia who was disqualified over a song used in a campaign video. Other candidates were reportedly excluded after posting photographs or references to the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The review said regional officials’ actions reflected efforts to demonstrate loyalty to the Kremlin.

Novaya Gazeta, described by France 24 as critical of the Kremlin, called the election a “listless affair.” The review said discussion of the Ukraine war was largely illegal and that televised debates sometimes took place without debaters. It also cited The Conversation, which characterized the multiparty contest as a veneer of democracy within Vladimir Putin’s increasingly authoritarian system, with nominal opposition parties remaining loyal to the Kremlin.

The review added that Le Temps reported 57 percent of Russians considered the country’s political situation very tense. It said the election would nevertheless reinforce Putin’s version of democracy, without providing further details about the polling process or its expected result.

The broadcast also previewed Zinedine Zidane’s first selection as France’s football coach after Didier Deschamps’s 14-year tenure. Le Figaro anticipated decisions involving established players and possible surprises, while L’Équipe expected an unchanged attacking trio of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise. L’Humanité said Zidane had appointed a new technical team and wanted to renew the squad.

In other items, Brisbane 2032 organisers selected the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland, for Olympic and Paralympic flatwater canoeing and rowing, despite the presence of about 500 saltwater crocodiles, according to the review. National Geographic was cited on the discovery in Bolivia of small spotted cats known as tigrillos, described as the first new feline species identified in a century.