Russia votes in parliamentary election with firm Putin grip

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37382850

Russia will hold its first parliamentary election since 2011 this year with the first exit polls coming out as early as this Sunday. So far opposition for Putin amongst MPs have been few and far between. There is much skepticism and worry of corruption after a very messy 2011 election were voter fraud was exposed, resulting in massive protests in the streets of Russia. This will also be the first Russian election including Russia's recently annexed Crimea, something Ukrainians are very unhappy about. The annexation of the Crimea was looked down upon internationally and condemned by almost all of the West. Ukrainian leaders have already made a statement saying that these election results will not be recognized by the state and that it is a border violation. With relations in the East already unstable and conflict on the rise in Syria and Ukraine, its difficult to stay optimistic about the consequences of these events.

-Tanner James