(Newser) – Vladimir Putin's grand plans to be Russia's next president may have hit a snag: The PM's United Russia party suffered a major setback in parliamentary elections held today, reports Reuters, securing only 48.5% of the vote amid allegations of widespread voter fraud. That marks a significant drop from the 64.3% it secured in 2007, and according to one poll, could mean United Russia loses its majority in the State Duma. That projection shows the party having won 220 of 450 seats. "United Russia has lost touch with reality," said one voter.
Meanwhile, the complaints of irregularities: "Massive cyber attacks are taking place on the sites of Golos and the map showing violations," tweeted the Golos watchdog. "I believe that nobody but government structures and the FSB (Security service) is capable of conducting such a campaign," said Golos' executive director.
(NEWSER) - The bad news just keeps rolling in for Pooty-Poot: The Wall Street Journal took a long, hard look at Russia's Dec. 4 elections and finds solid indicators of major, widespread, in-your-face fraud—by one measure, casting doubt on some 14 million of the 65.7 million votes purportedly cast. Seems Vladimir Putin's United Russia did astoundingly well in precincts where voter turnout was way above the national average, a metric that the Journal notes doesn't prove ballot-stuffing outright, but "provides the first overall picture" that it "could be broad in scale." More»
(NEWSER) - Outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev used his final state-of-the-nation address today to offer reforms in the wake of the massive protests and upheaval that have gripped the country since the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections , but he also railed against the "provocateurs and extremists" who threaten stability, reports the AP . Russia needs "democracy, not chaos," said Medvedev, warning that "we won't allow any outside interference into our domestic affairs." More»
(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:
(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»
(NEWSER) - Vladimir Putin has decided that he'd like to be Russia's top dog again, so his United Russia party today obliged him by formally nominating him to run for president in March's elections. Pooty-poot, who has relegated himself to the No. 2 prime minister job since 2008, has vowed to make handpicked successor and current president Dmitry Medvedev his new prime minister. The neat swap isn't going over well among Russians concerned with democracy, notes the AP , and could set Putin up to serve another 12 years. More»
