Monday, December 3, 2007
News: Election Rigging; Putin's Win 'Unfair' Say Election Monitors
SKY - Russia's President Vladimir Putin has won his country's elections by a landslide - but international monitors have condemned the poll as unfair and not up to standard.
Goran Lennmarker, president of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's parliamentary assembly, said the weekend poll "failed to meet many of the commitments and standards that we have".
He added that it "was not a fair election".
The European Union has also criticised the poll, saying free speech and assembly rights had been violated in the run-up to the vote.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, EU external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said problems were evident ahead of the election.
She said: "We saw some violations of basic rights, notably free speech and assembly rights."
The White House urged Russia to investigate opposition claims of widespread ballot-rigging.
Mr Putin's United Russia party's victory came in at more than 60% of the vote.
The Kremlin hailed the result as a signal from Russian voters that they want Mr Putin to retain influence after he leaves office in March.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said: "Russian voters spoke in favour of United Russia, thus supporting President Putin's course, and spoke in favour of it being continued after the current president's second term ends."
But the Communists, likely to be the only opposition force in parliament, said they would challenge the result in the Supreme Court.
They said they would discuss whether to boycott the new parliament.
Liberal Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov of the SPS party called Sunday's vote "the most dishonest election in the history of modern Russia".
The 55-year-old president, a former KGB spy who is hugely popular and credited by voters with restoring Russia's national pride, has been tipped for a role as prime minister or possibly speaker of parliament after his presidency.
Some observers say he could seek a third term as president, though he has said repeatedly he would not change the constitution to pave the way for this.
Goran Lennmarker, president of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's parliamentary assembly, said the weekend poll "failed to meet many of the commitments and standards that we have".He added that it "was not a fair election".
The European Union has also criticised the poll, saying free speech and assembly rights had been violated in the run-up to the vote.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, EU external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said problems were evident ahead of the election.
She said: "We saw some violations of basic rights, notably free speech and assembly rights."
The White House urged Russia to investigate opposition claims of widespread ballot-rigging.
Mr Putin's United Russia party's victory came in at more than 60% of the vote.
The Kremlin hailed the result as a signal from Russian voters that they want Mr Putin to retain influence after he leaves office in March.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said: "Russian voters spoke in favour of United Russia, thus supporting President Putin's course, and spoke in favour of it being continued after the current president's second term ends."
But the Communists, likely to be the only opposition force in parliament, said they would challenge the result in the Supreme Court.
They said they would discuss whether to boycott the new parliament.
Liberal Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov of the SPS party called Sunday's vote "the most dishonest election in the history of modern Russia".
The 55-year-old president, a former KGB spy who is hugely popular and credited by voters with restoring Russia's national pride, has been tipped for a role as prime minister or possibly speaker of parliament after his presidency.
Some observers say he could seek a third term as president, though he has said repeatedly he would not change the constitution to pave the way for this.
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