MOSCOW, December 5 (RIA Novosti) - According to preliminary data, the United Russia party, holding a majority in federal parliament, will take up 28 seats in the Moscow legislature, the head of the city's election commission said.
Valentin Gorbunov said United Russia had won 13 seats in voting on party lists, the Communist Party four and the liberal Yabloko party three.
Pro-Kremlin United Russia also won all 15 seats in the single-mandate constituencies, Gorbunov said.
United Russia received 42.3% of the votes, the Communists emerged with 16.7%, and Yabloko gained 11.1%.
The ultra-nationalist LDPR party garnered 8%, the Russian Party of Life, led by speaker of the upper house of parliament Sergei Mironov, secured 4.7%, the Greens 2.6%, Free Russia 2.2%, the party of social justice 1.2%, and People's Will 0.6%.
"Ballots from only 10 polling stations have not yet arrived," Gorbunov said. "More than 99% of the ballots have been counted. I'm glad to say that the parties aspiring for seats have collected a total of 70% of the votes, with 50% being the minimum."
The election official said voter turnout had reached 34.8%. The last elections of the Moscow legislature, or the third City Duma, in December 2001 registered a turnout of 30.5%.
A total of 170 candidates ran in the 2001 elections, including 11 Communists, five members of the Union of Right Forces (SPS), five LDPR members, and seven Yabloko candidates.
United Russia, then known as Unity, and Fatherland, which was led by Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, now a United Russia member, were not able to get their candidates on the ballot. Therefore, the two parties joined SPS and Yabloko to establish a coalition and promoted coordinated candidates, 33 out of 35 of who made it into parliament.
Twenty-two out of 25 incumbents were voted into the third Duma. Thirteen candidates won seats in the city legislature for the first time. As a result, newcomers accounted for nearly a third of Moscow legislators four years ago.
