DATE=12/1/1999 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT TITLE=RUSSIAN ELECTIONS NUMBER=5-44877 BYLINE=ED WARNER DATELINE=WASHINGTON CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: On December 19th, Russians will vote for members of the Duma, the lower house of parliament. The election is important because the legislature is expected to assume more power in the years ahead. The vote will also be a preview of next year's presidential election. To help assure an honest, effective tally, an American organization has been working with Russian election officials. Correspondent Ed Warner reports some of the Americans' observations about the upcoming election. TEXT: Voting can be fun in Russia, says Paul DeGregorio of the International Foundation for Election Systems, or IFES: // DEGREGORIO ACT // Go to a polling station, and there is loud music to welcome you to the station. There is food for sale at discounted prices. So you feel good as you are coming in. Some places there might be vodka and other things for sale. There are flowers. I mean it really looks nice. // END ACT // This cheerful welcome dates back to Soviet times when people had to be encouraged to come to the polls since their vote was meaningless. Only one party appeared on the ballot. It would win whether they voted or not. Today in post-Communist Russia, people have to get used to the idea their vote can count. To help with the change, an International Foundation for Election Systems' team has analyzed the election process in great detail. The foundation team has offered some advice as Russians prepare to vote for the Duma, or lower house, on December 19th. Mr. DeGregorio, who first studied elections in his home state of Missouri, has just returned from consultations in Russia and is optimistic about the vote. He expects a big turnout and minimal fraud, though observers are essential: // DEGREGORIO ACT // They have a very professional election commission now, and I think they are serious about trying to improve the process, and to show to Europeans and the west they can have good elections. A lot depends on who is appointed and the professional attitude they take and the managerial skills that they have on the job. // END ACT // The election has produced one unpleasant surprise, says Mr. DeGregorio. It has attracted some unsavory candidates to run for office for self-serving reasons: // DEGREGORIO ACT // A lot of businessmen are buying their way on these party lists to get to the top so they get elected. So they more or less have technical and real immunity from prosecution, and they wield their political power. We are seeing more of that - paying big sums of money over the table and under the table. // END ACT // Lewis Madanick, a program officer of the foundation, cites another problem: the influence of a highly partisan media. Newspapers and television stations are owned by the state or by big businesses with close ties to government. Mr. Madanick says they tend to pursue their special agendas rather than inform the public. He insists that the foundation sticks to technicalities and stays out of politics, but he discerns a moderate trend in Russia that should enhance the power of the Duma: // MADANICK ACT // We are finding the parties are homogenizing more around the center, as opposed to a strong diametrically opposed democratization versus Communist, which I think is healthy. We are also finding less parties, which show less of a spectrum. Of course, there are radical fringe groups -- nationalist groups, far-left groups, far right groups- but they seem to be marginalized. // END ACT // Mr. Madanick says a successful December election will be another solid step in building an enduring Russian democracy. (SIGNED) NEB/EW/ENE/RAE 01-Dec-1999 13:19 PM EDT (01-Dec-1999 1819 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .