In a performance this Saturday (25) Moscow, convened by the Communist Party of Russia, opposed parliamentary elections in the country. oppose putin During the legislative elections held between 17 and 19 September, he accused the authorities of committing “large-scale fraud”.
In the crowded Pushkin Square, top Communist Party names gathered in a compact and quiet crowd to condemn that the elections had been “stolen”, an AFP correspondent at the scene found.
Valery Rushkin, the Communist Party’s first secretary in Moscow, criticized the “huge electoral fraud in Moscow”, the ruling United Russia party “stolen the seats of the representative”.
In turn, President Vladimir Putin congratulated the ruling party for a “credible victory” this Saturday (25th), saying Russian democracy was strengthened after a meeting with leaders of the five parties that won seats in parliament Was, among them Gennady Zyuganov. Communist Party.
Before the start of the demonstration, which was not authorized by the authorities, security forces detained several political activists, including the leader of a radical leftist party, Sergei Udaltsov, told the NGO OVD-Info, which operates in Russia. Specializes in supervising demonstrations. .
The police made their presence felt in Pushkin Square with great fanfare, but did not try to disperse the demonstration. However, music was played from loudspeakers to suppress the speeches of the protesters.
“Putin is a thief,” shouted the protesters, who were also calling for the release of political prisoners. Some displayed posters calling for recounts, while others expressed support for rival Alexei Navalny.
The ruling party won a sweeping two-thirds majority, enough to amend the constitution, with the removal of the president’s main opponents, the icing on the cake in a tailor-made electoral process.
Navalny and his allies, barred from voting after their movement was labeled “extremist” by the courts, encouraged voters to vote for the best opposition candidates in each district to overtake the party’s ruling party. strategy was developed.
According to the opposition, the strategy of “smart voting” would have had great success, especially in Moscow, but was frustrated by widespread fraud.
