Russian opposition cries foul over ‘rigged’ regional election in far east

Moscow, Russia - The Kremlin faced a new crisis on Monday after the opposition accused authorities of rigging a key regional election and protesters took to the streets to denounce the official results.

More than 2,000 people gathered in front of local authority offices in the far eastern city of Vladivostok after an opposition candidate suddenly lost a gubernatorial election to a candidate of the ruling United Russia, the Communist Party said.

Sunday’s vote was a secondround runoff after the Moscowbacked candidate, Andrei Tarasenko, failed to win 50 per cent of the vote. Russians had registered their anger over a controversial pension reform and deteriorating economic conditions under Western sanctions.

Communist Party candidate Andrei Ishchenko seemed poised to become the next governor of the far eastern region of Primorsky Krai until the results changed significantly overnight, he and his supporters say.

With more than 95 per cent of votes counted, Ishchenko had a five-point lead in the vote Sunday. Then, overnight, Tarasenko overtook him to claim victory on Monday.

Opposition leaders claimed officials rigged the vote after Putin voiced his support for acting governor Tarasenko in a meeting last week.

“I know you face a secondround runoff,” Putin said at the time. “I think everything will be alright.”

Ishchenko said he would not give up and the Communist Party would take legal action.

‘Friends, they are stealing our votes, let’s stand up for our victory’, he said in a Facebook post, urging supporters to take to the streets. He claimed it had taken the authorities just ‘one hour’ to rig the polls by giving Tarasenko 40,000 additional votes. He said the most blatant violations had taken place in the towns of Ussuriisk, Artyom and Nakhodka.

Putin’s most vocal critic, Alexei Navalny, also urged residents to come out and protest.

Sunday’s vote was a 2nd-round runoff after the Moscow-backed candidate, Andrei Tarasenko, failed to win 50% of the vote