A total of 11 political parties have been given permission to fight December's parliamentary elections in Russia, the Central Electoral Commission announced Sunday, according to Russian news agencies. A further three parties were turned down by the CEC for failing to provide enough valid signatures to stand.
Among the 11 groupings who will battle for seats in the Duma on December 2 are United Russia, the Communist Party, the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, the pro-Kremlin Fair Russia, the liberal Union of Right Forces and the opposition reform party Yabloko. The rest are: Patriots of Russia, the Democratic Party of Russia, the Agrarian Party of Russia, the Party of Social Justice and Citizens' Force. The three parties refused recognition for the election are the Green Party, the nationalist Popular Union party and the Party of Peace and Unity.
The commission said they had not provided enough valid signatures. These three parties have 10 days to lodge an appeal against their disqualification with the Supreme Court according to Nikolai Konkin, the secretary of the electoral commission.