by Sergei Borisov
ULYANOVSK, Russia--Lenin was not much of a believer in democracy, and his hometown takes after him. That’s not because they are Communists, though. The percentage of people in Ulyanovsk who vote for the Communists is about the same as anywhere else in the country: at 15-20 percent. Indeed, the city is so indifferent to its most famous son that the Communists do not even try to tap into local pride by playing on Lenin’s local connection.
No, their low opinion of democracy springs from a conviction that elections will not deliver any improvement in their lives. That is a familiar pre-election sentiment. But what is new in this Duma campaign (which ends on 7 December) is the drop in the number of people who will vote, and the rise in number of those who will tick the “against all candidates” box.
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