Fraud, intimidation and bribery as Putin prepares for victory

GUARDIAN UNLIMITED ^ | 30 NOV 07 | Luke Harding and Tom Parfitt in Moscow

[elhombrelibre]

The Kremlin is planning to rig the results of Russia's parliamentary elections on Sunday by forcing millions of public sector workers across the country to vote, the Guardian has learned.

Local administration officials have called in thousands of staff on their day off in an attempt to engineer a massive and inflated victory for President Vladimir Putin and his United Russia party. Voters are being pressured to vote for United Russia or risk losing their jobs, their accommodation or bonuses, the Guardian has been told in numerous interviews with byudzhetniki (public sector workers), students and ordinary citizens.

[Nathan Zachary]

It seems that Putin is pulling a Saddam type of election. No doubt Putin will win by an overwhelming 99% percent of ballots cast.
I wonder if there is another name on that ballot, or like Saddam, only Putin’s name is on it.
I don’t recall if there is anyone running against Putin.

[Ronin]

Cue up the Beatles...

“Back in the USSR!”

[Nathan Zachary]

I'm almost willing to bet money MSM (commie)media will run a headline similar to " PUTIN WINS BY LANDSIDE" and not mention that nobody (who wanted to live) was allowed to run against him

[wideminded]

No doubt Putin will win by an overwhelming 99% percent of ballots cast.

I'm almost willing to bet money MSM (commie)media will run a headline similar to " PUTIN WINS BY LANDSIDE"

Putin is not running. This is a parliamentary election and his party is ahead. There is a presidential election in March but Putin is not running in that either because of term limits. He does appear to be setting things up for a future comeback.

[Ronin]

Putin may not be on the ballot, but he is definitely running.

And regardless of who is officially elected President for the next term, he will be Pootie’s puppet and do exactly what he says.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Putin takes the title of “General Secretary” of United Russia. I think it would appeal to his nostalgia for all things Soviet.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

All right! The USSR is back and badder than ever!

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Kasperov was but Putin’s thugs beat him up during a protest last week. I think he is somewhere in Siberia now grinding rocks on a Trans-Siberian railroad maintenance crew.

[Joe Boucher]

Sounds like the set up Mrs. Clinton will arrange for 2012 if she gets the nod in 08

[kindred]

Back to the communist run soviet empire political and military agenda.

[trebb]

I'm almost willing to bet money MSM (commie)media will run a headline similar to " PUTIN WINS BY LANDSLIDE" and not mention that nobody (who wanted to live) was allowed to run against him

This is crooked enough that I'm shocked, shocked I tell you, that Jimmuh Carter, ex-peanut farmer, isn't going there to bless the elections as "one of the most fair ah evah seen".

[elhombrelibre]

I don’t see Putin and his agenda as anywhere near as bad as the Soviet empire. I see him as self-serving despot, however, and a threat to democracy at home and abroad. The Soviet Union ran death camps, secretly supported terrorists, and exported violent revolution. So far, Putin hasn’t gone as far. He has and is selling weapons to the least responsible countries in the world - Iran, Syria, and Chavez’s private fiefdom formerly known as Venezuela. So he’s a real problem.

[spanalot]

i hope putin gets a big surprise

[444Flyer]

“i hope putin gets a big surprise”

Oh, very Big!

[Just mythoughts]

Do you think there is any orchestrated means and methods in Chavez and Putin’s upcoming elections?

[spanalot]

yes - putie is destabilizing the western hemisphere via cuba and venezuela and the east via syria and iran

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Can you translate the slogan into English ?

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

No, I don’t speak Russian, but it looks something like “People and Army Together!”