Protests in Russia after Putin wins election

[maddezmom]

Last edited Mon Mar 5, 2012, 12:59 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP

MOSCOW -- Thousands of Russians are gathering for a massive rally to challenge Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's victory in Russia's presidential election.

Putin won more than 63 percent of Sunday's vote according to the nearly complete official returns, but the opposition and independent observers say the election has been marred by widespread fraud.

International election monitors pointed at the lack of real competition in the race and said the vote count "was assessed negatively" in almost a third of polling stations observers visited.


Read more: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8568775

---

Russia detains protesters calling for Putin to go

MOSCOW | Mon Mar 5, 2012 11:34am EST

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained at least 100 people at protests calling on Vladimir Putin to resign after a presidential election they say was unfairly skewed in his favor.

Putin says he won a fair and open contest, but thousands of protesters chanted "Russia without Putin" at Moscow's Pushkin Square, the scene of dissident protests during Soviet times.

"We are not going to live in a country which makes a cynical show out of an election," said Sergei Kovalyov, a veteran human rights activist, told Reuters at the square.

"Their election is a farce," one opposition leader, Vladimir Ryzhkov told the protesters. "The authorities are illegitimate."

more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/05/us-russia-election-protest-idUSTRE82414V20120305