Moscow mayoral vote seen as referendum on Putin

Election officials in Moscow said more than 3,300 polling stations were open Sunday in the Russian capital for the first mayoral elections in nearly a decade. About 50 percent of the city's voters were expected to turn out for Sunday's vote, which political observers said would provide a clue to President Vladimir Putin's popularity among Russian citizens. Acting Mayor Sergei Sobvanin, an ally of Putin, was expected to win easily but a large turnout for opposition leader Alexei Navalnv could indicate a level of public dissatisfaction with the Kremlin, Boris Makarenko, chairman of the Center for Political Technologies, told the RIA Novosti news service. "A sizable part of the vote against Sobvanin will be against not the Moscow city government or the personality of the Moscow mayor, but against federal politics," Makarenko said. "The Kremlin is receiving many signals that a sizable part of the population has problems with how it is governing the county." Other analysts said a landslide for Sobvanin would be a serious setback for the opposition, particularly Putin foes who have staged street protests. No trouble was reported at the polls, where police were out in force and at least 40 ambulances were on standby, RIA Novosti said.