Merger of 2 Parties Boosts Putin
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MOSCOW — The mayor of Moscow said Thursday that he will merge his political party with parliament’s main pro-Kremlin party, further strengthening President Vladimir V. Putin’s grip on Russian politics.
Putin welcomed the plan by Mayor Yuri M. Luzhkov, founder of the Fatherland-All Russia party, and Sergei K. Shoigu, the head of the pro-Kremlin Unity party.
Luzhkov was known as a foe of the Kremlin during the tenure of President Boris N. Yeltsin but has expressed support for Putin.
The merged party will be the largest single force in the lower house of parliament, the 450-member State Duma. The group will hold at least 132 seats, and Putin regularly receives support from 150 deputies of other centrist and right-leaning blocs.
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