COMMUNISTS STRENGTHEN LEAD.

The Central Electoral Commission announced December 21 that vote-counting in the single-mandate constituencies was complete. The Communist party won 58 of the 225 seats; its allies the Agrarians and "Power to the People," 20 and 9, respectively. Figures for other parties were as follows: Yabloko — 14; "Russia is Our Home" — 10; Russia’s Democratic Choice — 9; Congress of Russian Communities — 5; Ivan Rybkin’s bloc — 3; Liberal Democratic Party — 1.

With votes counted in 192 of the 225 party list constituencies, the Communist party maintained its lead in the vote for the other half of the Duma seats. By the most recent tally, the Communist party has won 21.99 percent of the party list vote, translating into about 99 seats. The KPRF now commands an overall total of 157 seats, more than one-third of all seats in the Duma. The Liberal Democratic Party came in second, with 11.14 percent (about 50 seats). "Russia is Our Home" was third, with 9.65 percent (about 44 seats), and Yabloko fourth, with 7.11 percent (about 32 seats). (1)

Communists Demand Leading Duma Posts.