The vote was seen as "a referendum to support Vladimir Putin's politics," according to United Russia's party head, Boris Grislow. "The vote means that Vladimir Putin is our national leader. His politics will be carried forward."

Putin ran as the top candidate for United Russia, and the Kremlin characterized the election as a presidential referendum. After two terms in office, Putin is not eligible to run as president in the elections next year. But experts said his clear majority in parliament could lead to a change in the law to give additional powers to another position, which Putin would then occupy. In the run up to the elections, Putin himself said that a clear election victory would give him a "moral" mandate to continue a leadership role in the future government.

The results have been tallied and the Russian people have provided the wished-for conclusion. In Putin's Russia, politics has become a pompous staging ground marked by Kremlin intrigue and opaque maneuverings. As much as possible, it's important to try and look behind the scenes. Yet when the curtain gets pulled back, it becomes clear that political pluralism is only a front in Russia. The so-called "Kremlin parties" have a two-thirds majority in Russia. The communists provide the only real opposition, which is a ludicrous idea.

Democracy is the undisputed loser of this stage-managed election. In particular, the democratic institutions, above all the parliament, have been converted into a docile instrument in the hands of those in power in the Kremlin.

The other losers in this election are the Russian opposition, which found itself marginalized and divided in an attempt to win against this new social trend. Opposition leaders should not count on help from outside Russia.

Russian voters showed that they want stability and prosperity and fear chaos. Their motives and fears should be taken seriously. Voters knowingly strengthened Putin, a person who considers democracy a facade. But the election left an important question unanswered: What will become of Vladimir Putin? Vladimir Putin proved that electoral manipulations and the injustice as well as lies and personality cult would not change the election outcome.

Does Putin have a master plan for retaining power? If left out of the presidential race, what position will he use to influence Russia's future? There are no answers, nor even hints. Russia is ruled with smokescreens and camouflage and is dominated by and increasingly authoritarian ghost. The voters only applaud his power.

Germany, Europe and the world are unfortunately observers of this power play. They can criticize, but they know that their threats are meaningless. It's clear that Russia's political involvement is very important in several areas. It would be counterproductive for Europe to cut off contact, close down business ties and freeze engagement.

Change and democratic improvement in Russia will only come from inside the country. The parliamentary election has shown that this road remains a very long one.

Cornelia Rabitz is the director of DW-RADIO's Russia program (th)