December 4:
With 95 percent of the vote counted, the United Russia party appears to have sustained even greater losses than expected. Current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s party now holds just under fifty percent of the tallied vote, the New York Times reports, while the Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party and Just Russia party all gained parliamentary seats as a result of the recent election. Although United Russia’s leaders called the results a victory and a continuing sign of the party’s popularity, opposition leaders said that the vote “heralded a new era of shared government.” The internet, meanwhile, was buzzing as reports of election violations poured in.
December 5:
Complaints against United Russia’s campaign tactics continue to pile up. Students at various Russian universities claimed that they were heavily pressured to vote for Russia’s dominant political party, according toThe Chronicle. Two medical school students claimed that they were threatened with the loss of their dormitory acccomodations if they failed to show professors a picture of their pro-United Russia ballot, while students at another university claimed that they were forced to join Putin’s campaign efforts or face public humiliation.
December 6:
Dissatisfaction over the recent Duma elections quickly has sparked protests across more than 50 Russian cities. According to the Voice of America, as many as 50,000 police troops were sent to patrol the streets of Moscow, where 300 demonstrators were arrested, including opposition party members. President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin attempted to diffuse tensions, as Putin promised to “shake up government” if elected to the presidency in March, and Medvedev ordered officials to investigate accusations of voting fraud. Activists in Moscow have planned an even larger protest for coming days.
December 7:
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has now added his voice to the growing dissent, calling on the Kremlin to nullify the disputed electoral results and re-do the recent Duma elections. At least 800 people have been arrested during recent protests, the BBC reports, which occurred in almost 70 different towns and cities around the country. Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have alleged that election violations like the stuffing of ballot boxes slanted the outcome in favor of United Russia. “Literally by the day,” said Gorbachev, “the number of Russians who do not believe that the declared election results were honest is increasing... In my opinion, disregard for public opinion is discrediting the authorities and destabilizing the situation.”
December 8:
Prime Minister Putin has attempted to downplay the significance of recent protests, and accused the United States of being the catalyst for the unrest. Specifically, reports the BBC, Putin blamed U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent criticism of Russia’s disputed parliamentary elections, claiming that the Secretary's comments “set the tone for some opposition activists.” The Prime Minister insisted that the majority of Russians do not want political upheaval similar to that recently seen in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Arrest totals now top 1,000 people, with more demonstrations planned.
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