Posted on 12/10/2011 12:58:44 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Moscow today, in the largest of more than 70 protests across Russia, to voice their anger at alleged election fraud and to demand that the results of the parliamentary elections be cancelled, a new election be held, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin resign.
Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, one of the organizers of the rally, explained the protesters’ demands to ABC News.
“Our demand is to cancel these criminal elections, because Putin stole about 13 million votes. Secondly, to fire Mr. [Vladimir] Churov, who is responsible for the election and to organize a criminal investigation against him. The third point is to register the opposition. For example, I represent the People’s Freedom Party. [Churov] rejected us from registration. Next point, in the next election, freedom for political prisoners. I feel that we have reached a point where people are very angry against corrupt and criminal power,” said Nemtsov.
Posters read, “Crooks and thieves have stolen our votes,” “Putin go away,” “Free and honest elections,” and “We are not mute.”
Police estimated that 20,000 people protested at Bolotnaya Square in downtown Moscow, on an island across from the Kremlin. But organizers claim that more than 100,000 gathered, calling it Russia’s biggest demonstration since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
About 50,000 police and 2,000 paramilitary troops were deployed in Moscow in preparation for the protests. Most rallies across Russia were approved by city authorities in an effort to avoid violence, which was seen as a sign that the Kremlin has started to sense the people’s change of mood. ....
The protests were mostly peaceful, with few clashes and arrests. As people left the square, they said, “Thank you” to the police.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Proof that the anti-Putin protestors are not "Occupy Russia," they are the Russian Tea Party!
Down with Putin!
Russia without Putin!
As Obama prepares to steal the 2012 Election, I hope he takes note of what is happening in Russia.
Looking at all the Soviet flags in the crowd, I doubt they’re the Russian Tea Party/
I expect Putin to do two things: distance himself from United Russia and offer enough concessions to calm the mood.
He doesn’t have to do anything irreversible. I don’t think the fault lies so much with him as the system he heads.
And changing it is going to be a tall order in a third term. He has to be thinking about his legacy.
Hussein says we should give comrade Putin whatever he wants because Russia is going to help us disarm Iran and win the war in Afghanistan! HAHA!
Yes, if Russia is waking up, I’m hoping the people here will do the same, it’s way overdue.
Are the Russians really ready to handle a real democracy? I do not believe they are conditioned to make it work. They have no practice at it.
The Russian Communists did very well in Russia’s big cities.
And many of the party’s voters are not Communists.
They are the principal opposition party. And people are not too impressed by the Kremlin’s talk of allowing a liberal party to be registered.
As much as I’d like to see Putin gone, I think he is just too firmly entrenched in the state establishment. Putin will not be going anywhere anytime soon I’m afraid. As long as the military is with Putin an organic revolution will not develop.
Russians can turn against their rulers. They turned against Gorbachev, then Yeltsin and Putin has to wonder how effective he can be in the Kremlin if not just society but the elites begin turning against him.
He’s been lucky the past 12 years but people get tired of a too familiar face. Putin’s problem is he now represents the establishment.
And unless he quickly disassociates himself from it, he may not win in the first round in March.
Getting rid of rulers is the easy part, the hard part is finding a good one to replace them.
Change in Russia is incremental. I don’t expect a revolution but I do expect change to happen.
Putin realizes there is no way to avert it, so he might as well take advantage of the inevitable.
There is no popular successor waiting in the wings. Putin has created a system is which he is indispensable.
Its a trap and also he is not just ready to retire.
The Bolsheviks, let the Mensheviks and the Social Democrats do their heavy lifting for them, then they simply swooped in and seized power.
The real opposition are patriotic Russians who support the free market, such as "Solidarnost".
The communists are just the Russian "Coffee Party" trying to hijack the populist Russian Tea Party!
Putin’s inner circle want to keep things the way they are. The public wants change. And now Putin has to choose between them.
I think he’ll try to please both sides but it may end up leaving no one satisfied.
I agree. There may be some change in their govt in the next 10 years or so, but that will be due mostly to changing economic conditions. In the past 10 years a middle class has grown in Russia thanks to market reforms and high oil prices. Now the Kremlin sees the result of a middle class; with more time to think about their country’s politics than just putting potatoes and vodka on the table, state abuses are not being tolerated as they used to be.
Just Russia is social democratic. Liberal and conservative parties were barred from running.
United Russia is the status quo “party of power” but Alexei Navalny dubbed it the “party of crooks and thieves” and it caught on.
Not every one is like that I’m sure but to be frank corruption is a serious problem in Russia and you have a bureaucracy instilled with the Soviet way of doing things.
Russian government is not ready for the Facebook and Twitter generation.
He doesn't care about image as long as he can stay to the continuation of the destruction to capitalism. Tell me who's gonna challenge & win when he allows total voter fraud. The sheeple in America have no intestinal fortitude to fight.
“Just Russia” is a pro-Kremlin Party which is also part of Putin’s controlled opposition. Their purpose is to steal votes from the communists and make sure United Russia stays in charge.
Its the corruption that angers people more than anything - its the lack of respect for them as human beings.
That is the greatest threat to a democratic future for Russia and and a Russian “perfect dictatorship” - an omnipotent United Russia lubricated by massive corruption, would not be a salutary development.
Russians are not Mexicans. They are Europeans.
With the help of pro-Kremlin allies, Putin should face no difficulty with his legislative agenda.
But his first task is to rebuild his dented popularity ahead of the presidential elections.
The Communists don’t have a Vladimir Voronin type figure who is genuinely popular.
The Moldovan Communists have been the only unreconstructed Communist Party to win free elections in the post-Soviet space.
Even then they are more Moldovan nationalists than being doctrinaire Communists.
If they don’t want Putin we’ll take him. If we’re going to have a non-citizen President we might as well have one that supports a flat-tax, a pro-growth business policy, is strong on defense, and doesn’t wear mom jeans.
Unlike the other former Communist countries of central/east Europe, Russia seems to be wild and crazy.
Last I heard, Moscow was listed as the most expensive city in the world, but still somewhat primitive.
There was a recent documentary on TV about the wild dogs
roaming Moscow, and terrorizing the citizens.
I spent about seven years traveling most of the countries of central Europe, except those of the old USSR.
The vast majority of my time was in Slovakia, probably doing as well as any former Communist country.
The Communist party was quite small and laughed at, as their tiny red campaign car, with a loud speaker, puttered around Bratislava.
I left Slovakia in Jan. 09, a week after they went on the Euro.
Putin’s rule has been known for its stability and bringing Russia peacetime economic growth that was badly needed.
Russians want something more now: freedom and increased accountability by the state.
The country is cautiously figuring out to attain those goals. Perhaps something positive will come out of the protests.
Not right away to be sure but eventually they will happen.
Russia is a middle income country with a political system that has neither been a pure democracy or a dictatorship but something in between.
If Russians, a supposedly slavish and submissive people want anything, its greater freedom and more democracy.
This is what the protests have revealed.
“Russia is a middle income country with a political system that has neither been a pure democracy or a dictatorship but something in between.”
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Well, under the Communist it was called a “dictatorship of the proletariat”.
I consider that as little more then a ruse, as you could check in, but you could never check out.
This was true for all of the countries of central Europe.
I well remember, as a kid, the films of Soviet tanks rolling through the streets of many countries, including Slovakia/Czechoslovakia.
Yeah, like Egypt, and Libya, ....
Be very careful what you pray for.
I think doctrinaire communists are practically extinct. Today they recognize usefulness of market economy and religion. KPRF leader Gennady Ziuganov attends sometimes Orthodox Church service recognizing it as deeply rooted element of Russian culture.
You should keep your stupid admiration for America's foreign enemies to yourself.
No, I just have a sense of humor.
Unless you're just a dumb broad. Then it is funny.
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