Since Yeltsin's rule, the following stereotype has dominated Russia: television added to modern political technologies can solve any task in the interests of the person who owns them.
However, over this period, no parliamentary campaign managed to secure a majority for the parties in power in the legislature. In terms of a balance between spending and earning, they were loss making. In the cases when the victory alone was at stake (the referendum on the Constitution of 1993 and the presidential elections of 1996), the administrative resource played the crucial role.
Moreover, excessive pressure on people is often counter-productive and leads to protests. In Abkhazia, despite the overwhelming majority's aspiration to become part of Russia, Moscow's public support for one of the candidates - without any control at polling stations - only caused local residents to put up such slogans as "We Can Decide Ourselves", and turned the elections into a farce.
Many Ukrainians liked the candidacy of Viktor Yushchenko, the opposition leader, but considered him to be too weak to be president. If it had not been for Moscow (who actively supports Viktor Yanukovich), they might not have gone to vote at all. Now they are set to defend their candidate. This is how they reacted to the pressure.
Today, the paper reports, the administrative resource has lost its value and Moscow's campaign has fallen apart. Ironically, in Ukraine, and naturally Abkhazia, the Russian president is genuinely popular.
