The Guardian view on Russian parliamentary elections: glimpses of weakness behind the facade

Vladimir Putin's authoritarian powers are not constrained by elections, but he is alert to the danger that his rule would look illegitimate without them. That creates a tension, which is resolved through "managed democracy" – a euphemism for fraud and repression camouflaged with ritual ballots, held under a constitution that notionally guarantees political freedoms but in reality serves only the president.