Page 18 - RusRPTDec19

individuals, ​as well as organizations. The bill also included new rules for media outlets deemed ‘foreign agents’, which face the possibility of being blocked online and incurring fines of up to $75,000. It is expected to be signed into law by President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks. The bill was originally introduced to the State Duma in late 2017 and was seen as a logical continuation of earlier legislation that meant media outlets could be deemed foreign agents. However, after it passed its first reading in January 2018 it was dropped and quietly forgotten. It only resurfaced this month, passing its second and third readings in a matter of just two weeks. The timing and the speed are a mystery — although we do know that the Kremlin wants to control the flow of information ahead of 2021 parliamentary elections. Under the 2017 law allowing media outlets to be designated foreign agents, any publication can be labelled a ‘foreign agent’ if it receives funding from abroad. But in practice only publications financed by foreign governments — specifically Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America — have, so far, been targeted.
United Russia’s electoral campaign for the 2021 parliamentary elections will be ​managed personally​ by Sergei Kiriyenko ​and his team, specifically two new players: Sergei Perminov and Alexander Khinshtein. Both are tasked with developing methods to discredit other parties, particularly those on the left. This could mean a loss of influence not only for Dmitry Medvedev, but also the Secretary General of United Russia, Andrey Turchak, and several regional governors.
A new poll by VTsIOM shows that 51% of Russians believe the party of power should periodically change​. Of course, this figure varies by party affiliation, ranging from 71% among supporters of parties not currently represented in the Duma to 25% among supporters of United Russia. Two-thirds of Russians believe the country should have a “party of power.”
This is yet another worrying data point for the Kremlin as it looks ahead to the 2021 Duma elections. Of course, United Russia’s 33% approval rating is the biggest challenge.​ Nevertheless, the Kremlin has decided not to amend the electoral system by increasing the number of deputies elected from single-mandate districts from 50% to 75%. Experts warned that increasing the proportion of first-past-the-post voting would actually heighten competition for United Russia candidates. So as before, in 2021, half of MPs will come from party lists and the other half from first-past-the-post voting.
2.11 ​Polls & Sociology
Russia's natural population decline has continued for a fourth consecutive year in 2019​, the Audit Chamber said on October 7. Russia's total population dropped for the first time in a decade in 2018, totalling 146.8mn at the end of last year as migration numbers hit record lows. The United Nations has predicted that Russia's population could halve to fewer than 84mn people by 2100. There were 1.21mn deaths versus 994,300 live births in Russia between January 1-August 31, according to the Audit Chamber's quarterly budget report. That amounts to a natural population
18​ RUSSIA Country Report​ December 2019 ​ ​www.intellinews.com