Kremlin Hails Big Putin Win

Monitors say gov't tampered with polls Kasparov calls 'dirtiest'

(NEWSER) - Even as Vladimir Putin hailed his party's decisive victory in Russian elections yesterday as a mandate, international elections observers said the polling was neither free nor fair, and complained of government interference. State employees were reportedly ordered to vote for Putin, CNN reports, and Garry Kasparov’s Other Russia party was left off the ballot entirely. “We cannot say there were fair elections,” said one observer. More»

President urges vote for United Russia in Sunday's parliamentary elections

(NEWSER) - In an announcement aired on Russian television Vladimir Putin called on citizens to vote for his United Russia party in parliamentary elections Sunday, in order to prolong "stability and continuity," and "set the tone" for March elections. He also warned casting ballots for liberal opposition candidates would cause a return to "times of humiliation, dependence and disintegration," the BBC reports. More»

Also says McCain 'nuts', protesters wearing condoms

(NEWSER) - Protesters be damned, Vladimir Putin outright rejected calls for new elections today in a marathon appearance on a call-in show. Instead, notes the AP , he continued to place the blame for the widespread protests on the West's "well-organized pattern of destabilizing society," adding that they "still fear our nuclear potential," and that Russia's "independent foreign policy" is "an impediment for some." Putin's characteristically bellicose appearance carried a number of gems, and could spark some backlash:

• On John McCain's tweet that 'the Arab Spring is coming to a neighborhood near you': "He has the blood of peaceful civilians on his hands, and he can't live without the kind of disgusting, repulsive scenes like the killing of Gadhafi. Mr. McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. Anyone (in his place) would go nuts."

He says it would 'not be right' to serve third term

(NEWSER) - Russia's protesters look to have claimed their first scalp: Longtime parliament speaker Boris Gryzlov today announced that he is stepping down, despite his United Russia party's election victory . Gryzlov heads United Russia's Supreme Council, and has been Duma speaker since 2003, making him a potent symbol of Vladimir Putin's regime, Reuters explains. "I decided today to reject my mandate as a deputy," Gryzlov wrote on the party's website, saying it "would not be right" to accept a third consecutive term. More»

Authorities say 25K; media put it at 5K or fewer

(NEWSER) - Authorities said 25,000 people attended a pro-Putin rally yesterday in Russia, but the real number was "not even close" to that amount, reports the New York Times —and many of the attendees weren't there of their own free will. "Apparently it’s our duty. We’re supposed to make up the masses," says an accountant who claims she was "forced to come." Another, amid expletives, complained that classes were canceled in order for students to attend. More»