guardian.co.uk, Monday 5 December 2011 14.51 EST




by RussiaToday 9 hours ago


Related:

Russia election descends into violence as riot police clash with protesters

Moscow riot police arrest opposition leaders Alexey Navalny and Ilya Yashin as crowds opposed to Vladimir Putin take to streets


Miriam Elder in Moscow



Russian riot police detain an protester in Moscow as crowds opposed to Vladimir Putin take to the streets and post-election violence breaks out. Photograph: Reuters


Anger over a Russian election marred by widespread violations and the shadow of Vladimir Putin's likely return to the presidency broke into violence late on Monday, as thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow in protest.

Several thousand people, mainly young men, filled a park in central Moscow to listen to liberal opposition leaders call for Putin's ousting in a meeting approved by city authorities. But when they attempted to march to Lubyanka, the headquarters of the feared Federal Security Service, they were met by baton-wielding riot police who beat some protesters over the head and dragged others into waiting lorries.

Hundreds appeared to be detained, including opposition leaders Alexey Navalny and Ilya Yashin, as well as several journalists. Police put the number of protesters at 2,000 but some Russian media said the number was as high as 8,000.

Anger has been steadily growing inside Russia since Putin, currently the prime minister, announced his intention to run for the presidency in a March 2012 vote. His United Russia party fared poorly in a parliamentary vote on Sunday, losing 77 seats in the Duma, or lower house.

Widespread examples of vote falsifications and violations – uploaded by the hundreds onto YouTube, Facebook and Twitter – have fed the anger.

International observers also questioned the results. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said the elections were marred by "frequent procedural violations and instances of apparent manipulations, including serious indications of ballot box stuffing". Britain's foreign secretary, William Hague, said the report raised "serious concerns".

The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said Washington had "serious concerns" about the conduct of the elections. "Russian voters deserve a full investigation of all credible reports of electoral fraud and manipulation and we hope in particular that then Russian authorities will take action," said Clinton.

People continued to register alleged cases of falsification on Monday, and news reports on state television appeared to show results that implied turnout in some regions was as high as 146%.

Yevgeniya Chirikova, a popular environmental activist, called at the protest for the election results to be overturned. The crowd shouted "Putin, leave!", waved flags and blew whistles – a nod to his public booing and whistling at a martial arts event last month.

The protest, one of the biggest liberal opposition demonstrations in years, is certain to worry a state that looks down on opposition and is long unused to a politically conscious public.

"Groups of society have emerged that have a lively and serious interest in the vote results," said the political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky. "They consider the results their own and that's why they are fighting for it." Several protesters told the Guardian it was their first time at a political demonstration.

Putin's concern showed when he spoke to supporters at the United Russia headquarters following Sunday's vote. "I want to speak to all citizens of the country and, above all, those who voted for the party," Putin said, his eyebrows twitching and his gaze wandering as he betrayed his normally calm demeanour.

"Despite a rather complicated period in the life of our government, despite the [financial] crisis, despite the fact that responsibility for these difficulties has laid and lies on the shoulders of the party, people – our voters, our citizens – kept us as the leading political party in the country."

It was hardly the blustering rallying cry for which Putin has become known.

The vote on Sunday delivered the first concrete sign of Russians' unhappiness with Putin's announcement that he would seek re-election for the presidency. With 96% of the votes counted on Monday, United Russia's support stood at just under 50% – a sharp drop from the 64% it received in elections four years ago.

Observers are now anxiously watching how the former KGB agent will react. "On the one hand, there's the option of moving towards the style of (Belarussian dictator Alexander) Lukashenko," Navalny said. "On the other, they realise that the harsher they are, the worse the result."

State-run television, from which the majority of Russians get their news, has not covered anger at the election result. But the internet has become an increasing source of information for Russia's youth.

Opposition leaders called for protesters to keep up the pressure until the March vote. However, Putin's victory is widely expected as no serious opposition candidate has been allowed to emerge. Although his popularity rating has dropped from the sky-high levels he regularly enjoyed after first coming to power in 1999, it still remains higher than any other politician in the country, coming in at around 50%, according to most pollsters.

Yet the tide of discontent continues to grow. "It is clear that Putin's voter base has fallen apart," said Pavlovsky. "The Putin majority existed from 1999 to 2011 – this is the date of the end. I'm sure it was an unexpected surprise. He was sure voters would be enamoured of his return."

United Russia scrambled to address the drop in its support. Sergei Neverov, a top party official, was forced to deny rumours that Boris Gryzlov, the party chairman and speaker of the Duma, would resign.

Another party official, Andrei Vorobyov, sought to put to rest worries that the result could put Putin's victory in the presidential vote in doubt. "These 10 years(that Putin has been in power), it is very easy to lose confidence, but today it is at a very high level," he said. "Our candidate is known. It is Putin, our leader, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that our candidate wins in the first round."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/05/russia-election-violence-arrests-moscow?newsfeed=true

Russians protest against election fraud

By Moscow correspondent Norman Hermant and wires

Updated December 06, 2011 12:54:55


Video: Protesters demand 'Russia without Putin' (The Midday Report) http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/themiddayreport/video/201112/20111206-Protesters-demand_iinet.mp4



Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Moscow to protest against alleged fraud in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

The protest in central Moscow was one of the largest opposition demonstrations in years, with an estimated crowd of between 3,000 and 5,000 people.

Police said they detained 300 people after confronting the crowd who were chanting "Revolution!" and "Russia without Putin".

Police scuffled with some protesters and formed a line to hem them in and prevent them marching towards the Kremlin. Some managed to break away and head towards the seat of power, but at least 30 were seized before they got there.

The protests came as US secretary of state Hillary Clinton raised "serious concerns" about the conduct of the parliamentary elections.

"We do have serious concerns about the conduct of the elections. We think that the preliminary report just issued by the OSCE international mission raised a number of questions about the conduct of the elections," she said.

Opposition parties claim the election was marred by fraud, and observers said there had been "serious indications of ballot box stuffing" in a harsh verdict on the election that suggested United Russia could have suffered an even bigger decline in support if the voting had been completely fair.

They also said the election preparations "were marked by a convergence of the state and the governing party, limited political competition and a lack of fairness."

"The country has never seen such a dirty election," said Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, who dismissed the official results as "theft on an especially grand scale".



Severe setback

Despite that, the ruling United Russia party, backed by prime minister Vladimir Putin suffered a severe setback at the polls, failing to win a majority of the popular vote.

The Central Election Commission said the prime minister's United Russia party was set to have 238 deputies in the 450-seat State Duma after Sunday's vote, compared with 315 seats in the current lower house.

The result was Mr Putin's worst election setback since he came to power 12 years ago and signalled growing weariness with his domination of Russian politics as he prepares to reclaim the presidency in an election next March.

The prime minister says he brought stability to Russia after the chaos in the years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and Russians benefited from an economic boom fuelled by high oil prices during his presidency from 2000 to 2008.

But many Russians now complain of widespread corruption and the growing gap between the rich and poor, and an increasing number say they are disillusioned with Putin and his party.



Mr Putin, 59, defended the party's performance at a government meeting, saying a simple majority of 226 was enough to pass most legislation, and suggested this was sufficient to maintain stability.

"United Russia has been a significant part of the foundation of our political stability in recent years, so its successful performance in the election was important not just for the government but, in my view, for the whole country," he said.

But Mr Medvedev, who led the party into the election at Putin's behest, said voters had sent "a signal to the authorities" and hinted that officials in regions where the party did badly could face dismissal if they do not shape up.

"United Russia did not do too well in a series of regions, but not because people refuse to trust the party itself ... but simply because local functionaries irritate them," he said.

"They look and they say ... 'if that's United Russia, there's no way I'm going to vote for him'."

Although Mr Putin is still likely to win a presidential election next March, the result could dent the authority of the man who has ruled with a mixture of hardline security policies, political acumen and showmanship.

ABC/AFP


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-06/russians-protest-against-election-fraud/3714310/?site=newcastle

P.S.

You see folks there is corruption even in Mother Russia, the epitome of Socialism the ultimate intellectual paradise...
Where are the Marxist - Leninist -Trotskyites now? Will they apologize this protest movement as a figment of the protest-or's imagination? Since in Russia no such things happen?

All these communist power hungry machiavellians refuse to relinquish power, just like their right wing fascist counterparts... No difference....power is addictive...especially if your whole life is focused on controlling....control freaks?

Look at the case of Venezuela, or Nicaragua, etc... These god's gifts to humanity in their minds refuse to accept anyone else can govern properly but them. These ideologues tenaciously cling on to the reins of power (since they can't allow anyone else to govern) until they are pried from their grip...
...

Putin’s fading appeal: Protesters chant ‘Revolution'
56 mins ago




Police scuffled with some protesters and formed a line to hem them in and prevent them marching towards the Kremlin. Reuters

Moscow: Several thousand protesters took to the streets on Monday to demand an end to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s 12-year rule after voters cut his party’s parliamentary majority in an election that was condemned as unfair by European monitors.

Police said they detained 300 people in Moscow, where they confronted a crowd of 3,000 to 5,000 chanting “Revolution!” and “Russia without Putin” in one of the biggest opposition protests in the capital in years.

Police scuffled with some protesters and formed a line to hem them in and prevent them marching towards the Kremlin. Some managed to break away and head towards the seat of power, but at least 30 were seized before they got there.


Police scuffled with some protesters and formed a line to hem them in and prevent them marching towards the Kremlin. Reuters

The Central Election Commission said the prime minister’s United Russia party was set to have 238 deputies in the 450-seat State Duma after Sunday’s vote, compared with 315 seats in the current lower house.

The result was Putin’s worst election setback since he came to power 12 years ago and signalled growing weariness with his domination of Russian politics as he prepares to reclaim the presidency in an election next March.

President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday’s election was “fair, honest and democratic”, but European monitors said the field was slanted in favour of United Russia and the vote was marred by apparent manipulations.

The United States has “serious concerns” about the conduct of the election, a White House spokesman said.

The observers said there had been “serious indications of ballot box stuffing” in a harsh verdict on the election that suggested United Russia could have suffered an even bigger decline in support if the voting had been completely fair. They also said the election preparations “were marked by a convergence of the state and the governing party, limited political competition and a lack of fairness.”

“The country has never seen such a dirty election,” said Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, who dismissed the official results as “theft on an especially grand scale”.

Putin defends party’s performance

Putin says he brought stability to Russia after the chaos in the years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and that Russians benefited from an economic boom fuelled by high oil prices during his presidency from 2000 to 2008.

But many Russians now complain of widespread corruption and the growing gap between the rich and poor, and an increasing number say they are disillusioned with Putin and his party.

Putin, 59, defended the party’s performance at a government meeting, saying a simple majority of 226 was enough to pass most legislation, and suggested this was sufficient to maintain stability.

“United Russia has been a significant part of the foundation of our political stability in recent years, so its successful performance in the election was important not just for the government but, in my view, for the whole country,” he said.

But Medvedev, who led the party into the election at Putin’s behest, said voters had sent “a signal to the authorities” and hinted that officials in regions where the party did badly could face dismissal if they do not shape up. ”United Russia did not do too well in a series of regions, but not because people refuse to trust the party itself … but simply because local functionaries irritate them,” he said. ”They look and they say… if that’s United Russia, there’s no way I’m going to vote for him.”

Opponents said United Russia’s official result — just under 50 percent of the vote — was inflated by fraud and that it could, in reality, have received far fewer votes.

Although Putin is still likely to win a presidential election next March, the result could dent the authority of the man who has ruled with a mixture of hardline security policies, political acumen and showmanship.

Reuters


http://www.firstpost.com/world/putins-fading-appeal-protesters-chant-revolution-148854.html

Uploaded by RussiaToday on Dec 5, 2011


The parliamentary election results have left opposition supporters in an angry mood. Moscow has seen crowds of up to 10,000 take to the streets; over 300 have been arrested, reports RIA Novosti news agency. Police have counted 2,000 demonstrators, but unofficial estimates say up to 10,000 people made their way to Chistye Prudy Park to attend a meeting staged by the opposition movement "Solidarnost" (Solidarity). "Shame!" chanted the crowd. The demonstrators claimed the United Russia party had rigged the voting results. Meanwhile, as the Central Election Commission has almost done its counting, United Russia is coming in with almost 50 per cent of the vote. Police had already cordoned the area off for a meeting, which only 700 people had been authorized to join. As the stream of people increased, the designated area overflowed and the crowds spilled into a neighboring area. When they started to block the traffic, police began arresting protesters.

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P.S.
Wonder why only video coming out of Russia so far is by RUSSIA TODAY?
Well, these guys have the trademark on censorship, and are experts on STATE CONTROLLED MEDIA.
Western values (freedom of speech, press and association) are not held in high regard in the old Soviet Empire... These concepts are foreign and antithetical to Russian bureaucrats.

Another secret: Movements such as OccupyWallStreet (such as Amerika's) would not be tolerated so long in the land of Vodka. They would be crushed ruthlessly in Gorky Park, no questions asked Tiananmen Square style.

Posted at 02:36 PM ET, 12/05/2011
Moscow protests Putin after observers say election was rigged (photos)

By Elizabeth Flock


Thousands protested against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his party Monday night in Moscow and St. Petersburg, saying their win in the parliamentary election was rigged.




Russian police officers detain an opposition activist during a protest against vote rigging in St. Petersburg on Sunday. (Dmitry Lovetsky - Associated Press)

The Associated Press reports that the protest was the largest opposition rally Russia has seen in years, with 5,000 or more demonstrators gathered before police dispersed them. Riot police stopped a group of several hundred who marched toward the Central Elections Commission near the Kremlin, and took them away in buses. Several others were arrested. Many demonstrators yelled, “Russia without Putin!”

Western observers have reported that the results in Sunday’s parliamentary election, in which United Russia took about 50 percent of the vote, were seriously distorted by ballot stuffing and other vote fraud. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for a “full investigation of all credible reports of electoral fraud and manipulation.” While United Russia will continue to stay in power, the election results and ensuing protests indicate the first major threat to Putin’s party.

Below, see more images of the protests:



Police detain an activist during a protest rally by opposition group "Another Russia" in central Moscow Sunday. (Reuters)


Anarchists burn flares, shout and hold a banner during a protest after voting closed in Russia's parliamentary election in central Moscow Sunday. (Denis Sinyakov - Reuters)


Police force an activist onto a bus during a protest rally by opposition group "Another Russia" in central Moscow Sunday. (Reuters


Russian police officers detain an opposition activist during a protest against vote rigging in St. Petersburg on Sunday. (Dmitry Lovetsky - Associated Press)



http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/moscow-protests-putin-after-observers-say-election-was-rigged/2011/12/05/gIQAxIiuWO_blog.html

Miles de rusos reclaman el fin del gobierno de Putin

Opositores denuncian fraude oficialista en las elecciones legislativas del domingo





INDIGNACIÓN. Ciudadanos con carteles que dicen “esta elección es una farsa” participan en la protesta del lunes en Moscú (Foto: IVAN SEKRETAREV AP )

Martes 06 de diciembre de 2011El Universal


MOSCÚ (Agencias).— Miles de manifestantes salieron ayer a las calles para exigir el fin al gobierno de 12 años del primer ministro ruso, Vladimir Putin, después de que los votantes redujeran, el domingo, la mayoría parlamentaria de su partido en elecciones que observadores europeos consideraron como de una parcialidad preocupante.

La policía dijo que detuvo a 300 personas en Moscú, donde se enfrentaron a una multitud de entre tres mil y cinco mil personas que cantaban “¡Revolución!” y “Rusia sin Putin”, en una de las mayores protestas de la oposición en la capital en años.

La policía se enfrentó con algunos manifestantes y formó una línea para encerrarlos y evitar que marcharan hacia el Kremlin. Algunos lograron escapar y se dirigieron hacia la sede del poder, pero por lo menos 30 fueron capturados antes de llegar allí.

La formación opositora Jabloko, que no logró entrar en el Parlamento, señaló que no reconoce el resultado de los comicios debido a un masivo fraude electoral. También los analistas denunciaron numerosas irregularidades y colgaron en Internet grabaciones al respecto.

El presidente Dmitri Medvedev dijo que las elecciones habían sido “justas, honestas y democráticas”, pero observadores europeos señalaron que los comicios estuvieron injustamente sesgados a favor del partido Rusia Unida de Putin y marcados por aparentes manipulaciones, como relleno de urnas.

En el mayor revés electoral que sufre Putin desde que asumió el poder en 1999, la Comisión Central de Elecciones indicó que Rusia Unida perderá 77 escaños en la Duma y se quedará con 238, una estrecha mayoría en la Cámara Baja, de 450 escaños.

La secretaria de Estado, Hillary Clinton, dijo en Bonn que Estados Unidos tiene serias preocupaciones sobre la realización” de los comicios en Rusia.

Los observadores señalaron que se encontraron “graves indicios de relleno de urnas”, en un severo veredicto sobre la elección que sugiere que Rusia Unida podría haber sufrido una caída aún mayor de su apoyo si la votación hubiera sido completamente justa.

Faltó imparcialidad

También dijeron que los preparativos de las elecciones “se caracterizaron por una convergencia del Estado y del partido gobernante, competencia política limitada y falta de imparcialidad”. “El país nunca ha visto una elección tan sucia”, dijo el líder del Partido Comunista Gennady Zyuganov, quien desestimó los resultados oficiales como “robo en una escala especialmente grande”.

El ex líder soviético Mikhail Gorbachov, quien ha comparado a Rusia Unida con el Partido Comunista Soviético y aconsejó a Putin no volver a la presidencia, dijo que las elecciones “no fueron las más honestas”.

“No tenemos una verdadera democracia y no la vamos a tener si el gobierno tiene miedo de su gente, miedo de decir las cosas abiertamente”, destacó Gorbachov, padre de las reformas de gran alcance en los últimos años de la Unión Soviética, a radio Ekho Moskvy. En una reunión del gobierno, Putin insistió en que una mayoría simple de 226 basta para aprobar la mayoría de la legislación y sugirió que es suficiente para mantener la estabilidad que dice haber ayudado a Rusia.

Sus oponentes dicen que incluso el resultado oficial de Rusia Unida —justo por debajo del 50% de los votos— está inflado por el fraude.

Aunque Putin sigue siendo favorito para las elecciones presidenciales de marzo, el resultado del domingo podría minar la autoridad del hombre que ha gobernado durante 12 años con una mezcla de políticas de mano dura y personalismo, pero que fue abucheado el mes pasado tras un combate de artes marciales.


http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/75522.html

Where's Jimmy 'the election monitor' Carter when he's needed?



RUSSIA: Western Monitors Criticize Russian Elections


Denis Sinyakov/Reuters

A protester held up a sign that read, “I did not vote!” in Moscow on Sunday.

By: David M. Herszenhorn

MOSCOW — Western election monitors said on Monday that they had observed blatant fraud, including the brazen stuffing of ballot boxes, in the parliamentary elections that delivered surprisingly big losses to United Russia, the party led by Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin.

http://thevitimes.org/?p=18801

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Where's Jimmy 'the globalist-election monitor' Carter when he's needed?





http://www.cartercenter.org/peace/democracy/index.html


Oh, he only does black and brown countries?
Not progressive proletarian nations?
How nice!

No... he has to be invited.!

You know this is interesting about Russia and all, but I got my hands full with the DR and the rest of Latin America. I am just gonna pass by and make believe I am not looking, you know what I mean? .......

I thought he was just an international hypocritical nosy-body! Trying to spread his brand of progress.
Even though his own administration (76-80) was a disaster. Remember the Iran hostages?