Communists rally against election results
Published: 23 October, 2009, 05:31
Edited: 16 November, 2009, 09:44
TAGS: Election, Russia, Protest, Politics
Hundreds of Russian Communist Party members protested on the streets of Moscow this month's local election results.
The rally was part of a nationwide protest campaign against what communists call “riggings” during the elections that took place on October 11 when the United Russia Party received a clear majority.
"We have launched a nation-wide action which spreads from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok,” said Vladimir Kashin, Vice Chairman of the party Central Committee. “Our main slogan is "For Honest Elections!"
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov said that while the elections should have been “a form of a dialogue between power and opposition”, the United Russia “turned it into a farce.”
He announced that the party would be calling on the country's Electoral Commission head to resign, as well as for establishing a presidential commission to investigate the election results.
Supporters of other opposition parties, including democratic Yabloko, also took part in the demonstration.
The rally comes in the aftermath of the opposition protest over the elections.
On October, 14 three opposition parties, including the Communists, Liberal Democrats and Fair Russia, walked out of the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, in protest over the election results. They demanded urgent meeting with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
Later, all parties returned to the Duma sessions, though the Communists returned later than the rest. On October 23, the head of the Central Election Committee, Vladimir Churov, is expected to give a report on the elections.
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[An important document.] The Manchester Guardian. Thursday 2 March 1933. Letters to the Editor Social Conditions in Russia Recent Visitor’s Tribute To the Editor of the Manchester Guardian […] We the undersigned are recent visitors to the USSR. Some of us travelled throughout the greater part of its civilized territory. We desire to record that we saw nowhere evidence of such economic slavery, privation, unemployment and cynical despair of betterment as are accepted as inevitable and ignored by the press as having “no news value” in our own countries. Everywhere we saw hopeful and enthusiastic working-class, self-respecting free up to the limits imposed on them by nature and a terrible inheritance from tyranny and incompetence of their former rulers, developing public works, increasing health services, extending education, achieving the economics independence of woman and the security of the child and in spite of many grievous difficulties and mistakes which or social experiments involve a first (and which they have never concealed nor denied) setting an example of industry and conduct which would greatly enrich us if our systems supplied our workers with any incentive to follow it. We would regard it as a calamity if the present lie campaign were to be allowed to make headway without contradiction and to damage the relationship between our country and the USSR. Accordingly we urge all men and women of goodwill to take every opportunity of informing themselves of the real facts of the situation and to support the movements which demand peace, trade and closer friendship with an understanding of the greater Workers Republic of Russia. Yours etc. Bernard Shaw [and twenty others]. 33, Ormond Yard, London
Did the Communists lose in the Soviet Union like the Nazis lost in Germany. Did the Soviet Union suffer the loss of twenty five million of their citizens under their Communist government? Could this atrocity have been avoided and Russia's population today be seventy five million more if this atrocity had not happened? Does Russia want this kind of leadership ever again? I don't believe a Nazi party is legal in Germany. Can anyone tell me why a communist party should even be legal in the Russian Federation? This is not in the best interest of humanity or the Russian Federation.
Truly ironic...the communists claiming that an election wasn't fair.