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Russia currently faces not only severe economic and financial conditions, but also an ongoing confrontation with the Western nations stemming from the Ukraine crisis. Amid this situation, the Kremlin is seen to be pursuing carefully thought-out policies on both the domestic and foreign relations fronts from the perspective of governance over the medium-to-long term. In the election of deputies of the State Duma (the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia) held in September 2016, the ruling United Russia party won an overwhelming majority of seats. During the year, the administration also demonstrated its willingness to elevate younger officials to positions of influence. These developments could imply that President Vladimir Putin has begun laying the groundwork for a political framework that will enable the administration to continue functioning effectively even if he himself leaves the political arena.
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