Sunday, March 4, 2012

Polling Stations - Voting Fraud Allegations Mar Putin's Presidential Win Reuters

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MOSCOW Sun Mar 4, 2012 4:57pm EST

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A 1 week before Russia's presidential election, Sergei Smirnov gotten a mobile phone call from a gentleman which called him or her self Mikhail and told him the conditions involving the actual deal: you are going to vote with regard to Vladimir Putin a number of times in addition to receive 2,000 roubles ($70) inside return.

The sum was assured to help a bunch connected with additional young men and women exactly who met upon Sunday outside the house a massive multiplayer quickly food bowl on the south west fringe regarding Moscow, holding out that will always be considered to help several polling channels inside the province which rings this capital.

Smirnov, a new journalist, said your dog observed the actual collection a couple weeks ahead of the selection via a friend. Mikhail, which he fulfilled at Moscow's Yugo-Zapadnaya (Southwest) metro train station with Sunday morning, offered your ex boyfriend ultimate instructions.

"He mentioned we ought to vote to get Vladimir Putin, shoot the ballot, plus deliver your ex boyfriend your shoot by phone," Smirnov said.

Smirnov is usually one of many activists whom infiltrated as well as used a group connected with precisely what he said had been "carousel" voters, as Russians call people that placed various ballots at several polling gas stops making use of paperwork earmarked regarding absentee voters.

It is often a practice authorities state has been employed to sleep pad outcomes intended for Kremlin candidates in elections since Putin came that will electricity around 2000, as well as a December four parliamentary vote in which suspicions involving scam caused the greatest protests associated with their 12-year rule.

Opposition politicians explained Sunday's election, during which Putin gained a new six-year name by using virtually 60 percent regarding the vote - ample to help prevent some sort of runoff they could have faced in case he or she droped quick with 50 percent - seemed to be zero exception.

"Nobody predicted these kinds of carousels . it is total impudence," stated Alexei Navalny, a genuine protest leader who's between those setting up brand new demonstrations establishing about Monday throughout Moscow as well as other cities.

Navalny, that directed observers to help polling stations , said he or she had already been receiving reviews of potential violations all day.

Stung through allegations of scams while in the parliamentary vote, Putin requested a huge number of web cameras installed with polling areas countrywide for Sunday's election, as well as from a victory conversational they stated he or she had won "in a strong amenable as well as genuine struggle."

But critics reported this group Smirnov registered ended up being some of the many occasions with diagnosed fraud.

Golos, an independent vote monitoring group, acquired over 3,500 reports connected with possibilities violations nationwide.

A YouTube training video created by simply someone who seem to revealed on their own since Fremstiller revealed men in Russia's northern land involving Dagestan stuffing ballots in to boxes just one once one more here

"THE CORRECT RESULT"

Lawmaker Ilya Ponomarev said in which by simply Sunday mid-day they acquired discovered lots of conditions regarding alleged fraud, including carousels.

He stated Russia's electoral method appeared to be permeated by means of a way of life associated with fraud made less on order placed through the top than about the initiative associated with local plus area authorities who are eager in order to i highly recommend you those previously mentioned them.

"Vladimir Putin includes a system throughout place by which provincial experts usually are obliged for you to hold up the end result with the ruling party. They are aware that whenever they do not attain the correct consequence dress yourself in lose their jobs," Ponomaryov said.

"They react from thought for you to be a cheater within the elections."

Grigory Melkonyants, deputy scalp involving Golos, mentioned voting violations took numerous forms.

The alleged "carousel" voting diamond ring with Southwest Moscow acquired voters' brands listed at several polling stations , he / she said, wherever local election officials probably believed they were a part of a vote rigging firm but failed to stop them.

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