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Few vote in Russian gubernatorial contest

MOSCOW, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Voter turnout for the first gubernatorial elections in Russia in more than a decade was likely poor because of voter fatigue, an analyst said.

Voter turnout for gubernatorial elections, the first in 15 years, was under 15 percent in some districts. Andrei Zudin, an analyst at Moscow's Center for Current Politics, told state-run news agency RIA Novosti that turnout was low because of election fatigue.

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"The first cause is the basic fatigue that people feel when confronted with more elections, because these are the third in nine months," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was elected to a third non-consecutive term in office early this year. December elections saw the ruling United Russia party secure its dominance in the legislative assembly.

Protests and arrests greeted both elections, seen as skewed in Putin's favor. There were no reports from elections monitors about the gubernatorial elections.

United Russia leader Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he expected his party to fare well in the latest contest.

"I'll say it straight, United Russia did well," he was quoted as saying. "Better than in December's parliamentary elections."

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