October 12, 2009 By Citizen M

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – October 12, 2009

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TODAY: United Russia sweep polls at regional elections; accusation of vote-rigging fly.  Mitvol receives unusual delivery.  Medvedev had no time for Yushchenko at CIS summit; positive on Obama’s peace prize; Ecuador looking for weapons deals?; Russia bids to host World Cup

With almost 90% of the votes counted in Moscow, the city’s election Committee has reported that the United Russia party has garnered 66.10% of the vote, with the Communist Party coming in second at 13.28%, sufficient for three seats in the 35-member chamber.  Vladimir Putin’s party is apparently likely to have dominated in other regions.  The Guardian reports on allegations of vote-rigging; talk of which has seen leading opposition candidates scorn Medvedev’s promise to uphold democratic procedures‘These elections are illegitimate‘, argues Boris Nemtsov.  Say it with flowers; Communist deputy Oleg Smolin delivered a funeral bouquet to Prefect Oleg Mitvol, representing the death of ‘political freedom and decency‘ in the Northern prefecture.  A Just Russia handed out comics in which the party’s Sergei Mironov was seen warding off villainy in the shape of political opponents.