Democracy Now: Monitors Question Fairness of Putin’s Election in Russia
International voting monitors say Russia’s presidential election was clearly skewed to help Prime Minister Vladimir Putin return to the presidency. Putin won Sunday’s vote with about 64 percent of the vote. Putin previously served as Russia’s president from 2000 to 2008. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said there have been widespread claims of fraud and vote violations. At a victory rally, Putin rejected the charges and said he won a clean victory.
Vladimir Putin: “We have won today also thanks to the overwhelming support of the overwhelming majority of our voters. We had a clean victory. We will work honestly and intensely. We will achieve success. And we will call on everyone to unite for the sake of our people’s and our motherland’s interests.”
Opposition groups are planning protests in Moscow today. Alexei Navalny is a prominent opposition blogger.
Alexei Navalny: “These crooks who are committing unvarnished vote falsifications, they are afraid of outraged people, and that’s why they are trying to deploy police and military forces to prevent protests.”
