In modern Russia there are no free elections, therefore the political elite is almost constant.

Photo: Valentina Matvienko, Mayor of St. Petersburg, attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 17, 2011 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Global business leaders have gathered in Russia for the three-day conference. (Photo by Alexander Aleshkin/Epsilon/Getty Images)

Jason Arnold, project manager from solarcentury walks between lines of solar panels erected at Weighbridge, Wheal Jane, Baldhu on July 7, 2011 near Truro, England. A ceremony was held today to mark the connection of the 1.4kw solar farm, which on a 6.2 acre plot is the first in the South West and biggest in the UK to date, using 5,680 panels. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Yoga instructor Sarah Henry leads a class during a paddleboard yoga session at Adventure Sports Miami on July 10, 2011 in Miami, Florida. The paddle board is said to give the body's core more of a workout then in a gym since the platform is unstable and one must use the muscles to remain balanced on the board. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

An young exhibitor chases his wayward pig during the Great Yorkshire Show on July 12, 2011 in Harrogate, England. The annual Great Yorkshire Show has attracted a record number of 12,700 livestock entries over the three day event. The show now in its 153rd year is Britain's leading agricultural gathering, where over 125,000 visitors come to celebrate the farming community and their way of life. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Rescuers work at the accident scene on a bridge on July 24, 2011 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. The train from Hangzhou to the city of Wenzhou derailed on a bridge that is 10 m above the field in Shuangyu Town of Wenzhou city at 8:34 p.m on Saturday. The first four coaches and the 15th and 16th coaches of the train went off the line killed 32 and injured 191 people. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)

A South Korean woman looks out at the flood water after a torrential rain storm hit the capital city on July 27, 2011 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea issued a national crisis warning on as torrential rain caused flooding in parts of the country, killing over 35 with at least ten missing. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

A punks sticks out his tongue at the start of the annual Rebellion Punk Rock Festival on August 4, 2011 in Blackpool, England. This weekend a clash of musical cultures hits the famous seaside town as pogoing punks attending the annual Rebellion Festival at The Winter Gardens come shoulder to shoulder with traditional holidaymakers and the waltzing dancers of the Tower Ballroom. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Space Shuttle Discovery leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on its way to the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center August 11, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Space Shuttles Endeavour and Discovery switched buildings as they are being decommissioned with the end of the Shuttle program. (Photo by Roberto Gonzalez/Getty Images)