Russia Cracks Down On Election Protests

[Schneibster]

Public accusations of election fraud have been levied against the Putin-led government of Russia, and this has led to protests in Moscow. The government has deployed 11,000 troops from the Interior Ministry to suppress them, and has jailed two opposition leaders, one of whom has already been tried and sentenced to fifteen days for inciting an illegal demonstration. Pictures of alleged improprieties, including ballot-box stuffing, have appeared on the Internet. So there is serious question as to the reliability of the elections; in addition, major irregularities have been reported by international observers. There appears to be plenty of fire to go with the smoke.

On the other hand, the ruling United Russia party has lost a record number of seats in the Duma. If they cheated, they did so only to hang on by their fingernails.

The NY Times has a pretty good analysis. CNN has response to the situation from Hilary Clinton and the State Department, and she is expressing some concern and calling for a thorough investigation.

[klr]

Looks like the Russian electorate damned Putin and Co. with faint praise at best, despite numerous obstacles being put in the way of a free and fair vote. Ain't democracy a bitch?

“It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.”
- J. V. Stalin

[Schneibster]

Aaaaaughhhh!

I misspelled "Hillary."

My fellow Anglophones will be amused that I confuse her first name with Sir Edmund Hilary's last name; he was the first to climb Everest and return alive (George Mallory may have made the peak and died on the way back and I prefer to think so).

There, now that I've thoroughly derailed my own thread, carry on.