Russian Elections No Exit from the Labyrinth

The elections to the Russian State Duma, scheduled for December 17, will not mean very much. The Duma is an institution pre-castrated by the constitution. It is powerless to do anything legally or constitutionally against the whims and will of the president. These in-built weaknesses have been made worse by the behaviour of some groups and individual members of the present Duma, who have done their best to discredit the institution.