More Protests Lead to Mass Arrests in Moscow

So much for United Russia. That’s the optimistic name of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s party, which drew accusations of voting fraud and incited protests after Sunday’s parliamentary election. The demonstrations continued Tuesday in Moscow and two other Russian cities, leading to hundreds of arrests and two counter-protests.

AP via USA Today:

Opponents say even that reduced presence came because of vote fraud. Local and international election observers reported widespread ballot-stuffing and irregularities in the vote count.

The protesters appear to be both angered by the reported fraud and energized by the vote’s show of declining support for Putin and his party, which have strongly overshadowed all other political forces in Russia for a dozen years.

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AP / Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr.

Demonstrators shout anti-Putin slogans during protests in Moscow’s Triumphal Square on Tuesday against alleged vote rigging in Russia’s parliamentary elections.