RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Oct 11, 2010
TODAY: United Russia wins regional elections; new Moscow mayoral candidates announced; sanctioned Moscow rally in support of anti-Kremlin coalition proceeds without arrests; Luzhkov to form opposition movement? Forest fire death statistics, hackers jailed.
Opposition leaders heavily criticized this weekend’s elections both before and after they had begun, making allegations of ballot-stuffing and arbitrary appointments. The Moscow Times reports an ‘unexpectedly high turnout‘ and election-related violence in Dagestan as almost 100,000 law enforcement officers were deployed to ensure security. Early results show that United Russia ‘triumphed easily‘, and reveal ‘almost no support for parties not already in the State Duma‘. Opposition results include 17% for A Just Russia and 26% for the Communist Party in Novosibirsk, according to RIA Novosti. Dmitry Azarov, a United Russia party member running as an opposition candidate, appears to have won the mayoral position in Samara. A sanctioned rally on Saturday that drew 1,000-1,500 people (depending on your source) resulted in no arrests, says RFE/RL. The gathering was held in support of an anti-Kremlin coalition, says the Moscow Times, that hopes to challenge United Russia at the 2012 presidential elections.