Kasyanov told the Reuters news agency that the vote would be an "imitation of democracy."
Kasyanov, head of the opposition People’s Democratic Union, said in Moscow that the Kremlin would manipulate the poll to ensure that only loyal parties win seats.
Kasyanov, 48, is expected to be the leading opposition candidate in the 2008 presidential election.
(Reuters)
Democracy In Russia
Demonstrators in Moscow carry a coffin with a television in it to protest government control over broadcasting (TASS file photo)
DO RUSSIANS LIKE THEIR GOVERNMENT? During a briefing at RFE/RL's Washington office on November 15, Richard Rose, director of the Center for the Study of Public Policy at the University of Aberdeen, discussed the results of 14 surveys he has conducted since 1992 on Russian public opinion about democracy and the country's development. He discussed the implications of these opinions for relations with the West and for Russia's 2008 presidential election.
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