MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) — The victory of the Republican Party in midterm elections in the United States is unlikely to lead to positive changes in the country's foreign policy, including relations with Russia, a senior Russian lawmaker told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
"As for the foreign policy, the problem is that the Republicans' gain does not bode well with neither US-Russian relations, nor even with reasonable changes in the foreign policy of the United States," Alexei Pushkov stated.
According to the lawmaker, US President Barack Obama's administration will likely maintain its foreign policy positions after the elections, because foreign policy in the country is in the hands of the president.
"But the election results will affect the political atmosphere in Washington, the tone of discussion on international subjects, those appeals that will be heard from the US Congress. We can assume that these appeals will mostly be destructive in nature," Pushkov said.
He also said that the defeat of the Democrats is one of the biggest in their history. "This shows that in the two years before the 2016 election the Republicans seem to be more preferable."
According to Pushkov, the outcome of these elections represents a personal defeat for Obama.
"He is criticized for the fact that during his [presidency] Washington bureaucracy and administration, which he promised to revive and make effective, mobile, agile and responsive to the needs of the population, has become even more inactive. The second charge is that the president failed to find the correct line of action with respect to Ebola."
Pushkov added that Obama was also accused of incompetence and being unable to cope with global challenges.
On Tuesday, Americans voted in midterm elections, held in the middle of each president's four-year term. They decided who would fill all 435 seats of the House of Representatives and 36 of the 100 seats in the Senate.
The Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives but are looking to also take control of the Senate, where the Democrats currently have a 55–45 majority.
