The annual congress of the ruling United Russia party is usually a predictable affair, full of self-congratulations and long-winded speeches punctuated by polite clapping.
This year’s congress, held in St Petersburg on Saturday, was no less polite and carefully staged but the smiles seemed unusually forced after blistering criticism by Dmitry Medvedev, the president, scolding Russia’s hegemonic party for its authoritarian ways and “bad political habits”.
