Monitors say Russian vote unfair

MOSCOW—Foreign observers and Russian opposition groups accused authorities Monday of manipulating a sweeping parliamentary election victory for the party of President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the results as a validation of his leadership. With ballots from nearly 98 percent of precincts counted, Putin’s United Russia party was leading with 64.1 percent of the vote, the Central Election Commission said — which would give it a sweep of 70 percent of seats in parliament.
The only opposition party to make it into parliament, the Communists, trailed with just 11.6 percent of the vote, with Kremlin-allied parties claiming the rest of Sunday’s vote. The Communists, Liberals and foreign observers criticized the vote as unfair. Opposition leader Garry Kasparov, the ex-chess champion, denounced the vote Monday as “the most unfair and dirtiest in the whole history of modern Russia.”
But Putin and his allies praised the result as an overwhelming endorsement of his leadership and policies. “Of course it’s a sign of trust,” Putin said in televised remarks. “Russians will never allow the nation to take a destructive path, as happened in some other ex-Soviet nations.” The election followed a tense Kremlin campaign that relied in part on persuasion and intimidation to ensure a rout for United Russia and the president, who has used Russia’s energy riches in an effort to restore Moscow’s influence on the global stage.
Putin is expected to claim the victory gives him the mandate to remain Russia’s de facto leader even after he steps down as president in May, as required by the constitution.—Agencies