Moscow - Residents of Moscow voted on
Sunday in one of the most closely watched local elections in
years after the exclusion of many opposition candidates
triggered the biggest protests in the Russian capital for nearly
a decade.
Protests erupted in mid-July after the Central Election
Commission refused to register a large numbers of
opposition-minded candidates, saying they had failed to collect
enough signatures from genuine backers - a response that
President Vladimir Putin endorsed on Sunday after casting his
ballot.
Those excluded, including allies of prominent opposition
politician Alexei Navalny, denounced the move as a ruse designed
to stop them winning seats in Moscow's parliament.
Local or regional elections took place across all of
Russia's 11 time zones on Sunday. But the main focus was on
Moscow after this summer's demonstrations there turned into the
biggest sustained protest movement in Russia since 2011-2013.
Data from the election commission suggested the turnout in
Moscow would be a little more than 20%. Several videos shot in
polling stations showed some voters openly stuffing ballot boxes
with multiple voting slips circulated on social media.
Though local, the Moscow election was earmarked by Navalny
and his allies as an opportunity to make inroads against the
ruling pro-Putin United Russia party ahead of a national
parliamentary election in 2021.
The party's popularity is at its lowest level in more than a
decade.
Putin, asked after voting in central Moscow if he would have
preferred more diversity and a larger number of election
candidates, told reporters: "In some countries there are 30, 50
and 100 (candidates). It's not important how many there are, but
of what quality they are."
At more than 60%, Putin's own popularity rating is much
higher than most Western leaders, though lower than it has been
previously. The former KGB officer won a landslide election
victory last year that will keep him in office until 2024.
United Russia's popularity is suffering from discontent over
a move to raise the retirement age at a time of steadily falling
incomes and its Moscow candidates rebranded as independents in
an apparent effort to distance themselves from it formally.
Navalny advised his supporters to vote tactically across
Russia to reduce the party's influence.
One 25-year-old Muscovite, a lawyer who gave his name only
as Vladislav, said he had voted tactically for Sergey Mitrokhin,
of the opposition Yabloko party, "because I'm tired of United
Russia, stealing and everything that follows".
"I hope that smart voting will work ... We have to start
changing something (and) ... there is nothing to lose any more,"
he told Reuters.
Police detained about a dozen opposition activists near
Moscow's city hall on Sunday. The activists were wearing
T-shirts drawing attention to the fate of people the authorities
have charged in connection with this summer's protests.