Russians in Bulgaria join in election protests

Russian citizens gathered for a peaceful protest in front of the Russian consulate-general in Varna, as tens of thousands of people turned out in various Russian cities to protest alleged irregularities in the December 4 elections.

The Russians in Varna said that the parliamentary elections in their homeland had been manipulated, Bulgarian National Television reported on December 11.
 
They called for the cancellation of the Russian election results and for those involved in electoral fraud to be punished.
 
The protesters in Varna, who had official permission from the municipality for their gathering, held posters reading "We stand for fair elections".
 
They said that they wanted to see the 2012 Russian presidential elections held in an honest manner.
 
The Voice of America said that tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow and other cities across Russia on December 10 to protest against alleged election fraud in parliamentary elections won by prime minister Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia party.
 
Police reported at least 20 000 demonstrators on Moscow's Bolotnaya Square across the river from the Kremlin, though organisers put the figure at about 50 000. Moscow authorities had given permission for 30000 people to gather there.
 
The BBC said that a resolution was passed calling for the cancellation of the December 4 election results, new elections, the resignation of electoral commission chief Vladimir Churov, an investigation into the alleged ballot-rigging and the immediate release of arrested protesters.

Source: The Sofia Echo