More than a thousand Russians demonstrated in Moscow on Saturday at the call of the Communist Party, protesting against what critics of the Kremlin qualified as massive fraud during the last legislative elections, Vladimir Poutin hailing him a "
convincing victory
".
In a crowded Pushkin Square, figures of the Communist Party harangued a compact and calm crowd, decrying a “
stolen
”
ballot
, according to an AFP correspondent on the spot.
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Vladimir Poutine had greeted Saturday a "
convincing victory
", affirming that the Russian democracy was strengthened, during this meeting with the leaders of five parties having gained seats in the parliament. Valéri Rachkine, first secretary of the Communist Party in Moscow, for his part affirmed Saturday that the party in power "
United Russia stole the seats of the deputies
". In front of the crowd, he criticized a "
colossal electoral fraud in Moscow
".
Before the start of the demonstration, unauthorized by the authorities, the latter arrested several political activists including Sergei Oudaltsov, leader of a radical left party, said the NGO OVD-Info, specializing in monitoring demonstrations in Russia. .
A large police force had been set up in Pushkin Square, but the police did not try to disperse the demonstration, contenting themselves with playing music at a high volume in order to drown out the speeches made by the demonstrators.
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"
Putin is a thief,
" chanted the demonstrators, also calling for the release of political prisoners.
Some held up signs demanding that the votes be recounted, while others expressed their support for the imprisoned opponent Alexei Navalny.
The latter, unable to participate in the ballot after the classification of his movement as "
extremist
" by justice, had developed a strategy to encourage the Russians to give their voice to the candidates best placed to beat those in power, often communists.
According to the opposition, this “
intelligent vote
” would have been very successful, especially in Moscow, if it had not been thwarted by fraud.