Russia 111216 Basic Political Developments
Russian investigators open first probe into alleged poll fraud
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- Minchenko comments on reshuffle at Kommersant
- Udaltsov Hospitalized for 3rd Time
- Russian ship evacuates some crew in Antarctica
Russian investigators open first probe into alleged poll fraudhttp://en.rian.ru/russia/20111216/170299354.html 13:11 16/12/2011 KRASNODAR, December 16 (RIA Novosti) – A probe has been launched in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar into allegations of ballot stuffing at a polling station during the December 4 parliamentary elections, investigators said on Friday. The investigation is the first since the end of the polls, which were marred by multiple allegations of electoral fraud in favor of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party. The probe was launched after a complaint by a candidate from the nationalist LDPR party, who said he had seen almost 100 ballots "folded up, as if they had been placed there simulteneously" when the ballot box was opened. He also said all the ballot papers were marked for United Russia. Russia’s independent election monitoring organization Golos said it had logged more than 7,000 cases of falsifications during the polls. International observers from the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe reported “flagrant procedural violations” and "several serious indications of ballot box stuffing." The probe comes a day after Putin told Russians in a televised Q&A session that web cameras should be installed at polling station ahead of the March presidential elections, in which he is due to stand. But he dismissed allegations that the December 4 polls were invalid. "As regards vote-rigging and the fact that the opposition are not pleased with the election results, there is nothing new here, this has always been the case," he said. "The opposition is there to fight for power and is fighting for power. That is why it is seeking any opportunity to come closer to power, to edge the current authorities out, to accuse them, to point to their mistakes." Minchenko comments on reshuffle at Kommersanthttp://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/society/20887.html The owner of the Kommersant publishing center, Alisher Usmanov, has organized a new reshuffle at the structure. He dismissed the Director General of Kommersant Holding, Andrey Galliyev, and Editor-in-Chief of Kommersant Vlast, Maksim Kovalsky. Usmanov said that the dismissal was initiated for publication of some materials violating journalistic ethics. He added that such violations resemble minor acts of hooliganism. The Director General of Kommersant, Demyan Kudryavtsev, filed a letter of resignation. Usmanov said that he would consider the letter in the next two weeks. Yevgeny Minchenko, Director of the International Institute for Political Expertise, told Vestnik Kavkaza that this is not just a violation of ethics. Usmanov is an oriental person who demands subordination and respect. The prime minister should pause instead. Concerning a Q&A show of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the Russian population, the expert believes that it would be wrong. Such shows are bad for Putin, regardless of the questions to be asked. The director believes that the solution lies in a recount of the votes, as part of checking the protocols signed by members of electoral commissions and the protocols presented in territorial electoral commissions. Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Astrakhan should do that. The leader of Fair Russia, Sergey Mironov, announced falsifications of votes in Saint-Petersburg and Astrakhan today. Udaltsov Hospitalized for 3rd Time15 December 2011 The Moscow Times Opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov was briefly hospitalized early Thursday for the third time since he began a hunger strike following his election day arrest, Novaya Gazeta reported. The Left Front leader was transported by ambulance from a detention facility on Simferopolsky Bulvar to State Hospital No. 64 after suffering acute pain in his kidneys and stomach, the paper said. He was treated and returned to jail after five hours, Interfax reported. Udaltsov's condition is linked to a hunger strike he has kept up since his arrest near the Sokol metro station on Dec. 4. He was initially sentenced to five days' imprisonment for disobeying police, but his sentence was later extended for another 15 days. Nikolai Polozov, Udaltsov's lawyer, said his client is extremely weak, has lost weight and has trouble walking without assistance. The chief doctor of State Hospital No. 64, however, assessed Udaltsov's health as "moderate." Udaltsov has been arrested more than 100 times, chiefly for participating in unsanctioned rallies. Amnesty International has condemned his latest arrest.
Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/udaltsov-hospitalized-for-3rd-time/449997.html#ixzz1gg3oRicg The Moscow Times Russian ship evacuates some crew in AntarcticaToday at 07:57 | Reuters WELLINGTON - A Russian fishing vessel in Antarctica has evacuated some crew members onto lifeboats after taking on water and other crew are trying to patch up a hole in its hull, New Zealand rescue authorities said on Friday. The 48-metre (157-feet) Sparta, which carries a crew of 32, issued a mayday distress call from the southern oceans next to the Antarctic ice shelf around 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) southeast of New Zealand. The ship is reported to have a list of around 13 degrees and is pumping water out but is in no immediate danger of sinking. "The crew has managed to keep up with the ingress of water. They have also attached a tarpaulin on the outside of the hull which is helping slow the rate of water into the hold," said search and rescue mission coordinator Ramon Davis. "They have asked us to supply them with more pumps to allow them to increase the pumping speed, and also provide backup to the pumps they are already working with," he added. Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said there were no suitable ships nearby to help, with the closest ones hampered by heavy sea ice. Ships capable of breaking through sea ice were at least four days away, but an American Hercules plane from the McMurdo Station research base had flown over the ship to assess ice conditions. Davis said Sparta was in an area clear of ice, with the thickness of surrounding ice put at up to 1.5 metres. Some of the crew were in lifeboats, while the weather in the area was said to be calm and relatively mild. The crew of 15 Russians, 16 Indonesians and a Ukrainian are said to have special clothing and other resources to cope with Antarctica's extreme weather.
Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/119072/#ixzz1ggHNCK37 Directory: gifiles -> attach attach -> British Forces – Akrioti, Greece Griffin Fighter Squadron (84 Squadron raf) MoD announced possible Typhoon and Tornado arrivals to the base France attach -> Russia 110204 Basic Political Developments attach -> Unclassified//for official use only attach -> Adaptability Sustainment attach -> Pop-up 1 ("C" Chechnya) Header Text: Emir of the Caucasus Emirate Doku Umarov Image attach -> Russia and Islam are not Separate attach -> Chapter 13: The Northern Caucasus attach -> Russia 100209 Basic Political Developments attach -> The evolution attach -> The devolution Download 327.41 Kb. Share with your friends:
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