Russian regional vote is mid-term test for Medvedev

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By Natalya Shurmina

YEKATERINBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Millions of Russians voted in regional elections on Sunday in a mid-term test of President Dmitry Medvedev's pledge to loosen the Kremlin's grip on the political system.

Regional and municipal votes across the country were set to gauge the popularity of the ruling United Russia party amid anger at rising prices and unemployment after the global crisis abruptly ended 10 years of rapid economic growth.

Officials from the three largest opposition parties said they had seen little improvement from regional polls last year that they dubbed the dirtiest ever. They said they would reserve final judgement until after the vote count.

"The authorities are using their full bag of dirty tricks," said senior Communist lawmaker Sergei Obukhov.

Widespread violations could boost a series of anti-government protests on March 20, six days after the poll.

Around 32 million of Russia's 110 million registered voters are eligible to vote in polls, which include elections for eight regional parliaments. Opposition parties predicted a low turnout by voters disillusioned by a tightly controlled process.

"Nothing will change, it's almost like it was under the Communists," said driver Alexei Ivchenko, 46, in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fifth largest city. He voted for the left-leaning opposition Fair Russia as a protest against the authorities.

The elections come half way through Medvedev's four year term as he struggles to demonstrate progress on a pledge to loosen the tight control of the political system introduced during Vladimir Putin's eight years in the Kremlin.

Despite a series of relatively liberal speeches by Medvedev, analysts have struggled to point to any significant deviation from policies introduced by Putin, now prime minister and dominant partner in Russia's ruling "tandem."

Accusations of voting violations were so widespread in a Moscow city council vote last October -- overwhelmingly won by United Russia -- that three usually loyal opposition parties walked out of parliament in a rare protest. They were coaxed back by Medvedev's promise of a fairer vote this time.

'MORE AGGRESSIVE'

Golos, Russia's largest independent election monitoring body, said it has seen no improvement on earlier polls.

"If anything United Russia is being more aggressive towards its opponents than before," Golos head Liliya Shibanova said after polls closed in the Far East region of Khabarovsk.

Campaigning was marred by the barring of candidates from the liberal Yabloko party from two regional polls after officials ruled that several thousand voter signatures required to get the party on the ballot were invalid.

In most regions United Russia will face three parties -- the Communists, Fair Russia and the nationalist Liberal Democrats, all relatively cautious in their opposition to the Kremlin.

Federal election officials have dismissed opposition complaints of bias and say Russian elections are more open than those in Western Europe. The Central Election Commission said it had received almost 50 percent fewer complaints than during the campaign compared to October.

Putin's United Russia is expected to dominate the elections, drawing on its immense resources, entrenched position and popular leader. Facing a fragmented opposition, it posted ratings of between 50 and 65 percent in February polls.

"We need stability and order in the country," said engineer Alexander Martyugin, 52, after voting for United Russia in the centre of Yekaterinburg. "Who else is there to vote for?"

But Putin's party faces growing anger over rapid hikes in prices for communal services, which helped prompt 10,000 people to gather in the western region of Kaliningrad in January for one of the largest opposition protests in a decade.

(Writing and additional reporting by Conor Humphries; editing by Philippa Fletcher)