ZCZC
BFF-34
RUSSIA-POLITICS-VOTE
Russian Far East vote result cancelled after protests
MOSCOW, Sept 20, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Authorities in the Russian Far East on
Thursday cancelled the result of a runoff governorship vote in an
unprecedented move after claims of vote-rigging in favour of a candidate
backed by President Vladimir Putin triggered protests.
A local electoral commission took the decision after Russia’s election
chief Ella Pamfilova on Wednesday recommended re-running the vote.
The crisis erupted in the Far Eastern region of Primorsky Krai where an
opposition candidate accused a ruling party representative endorsed by Putin
of “stealing” his victory in the vote last Sunday.
Communist Party candidate Andrei Ishchenko, 37, seemed poised to become the
next governor of Primorsky Krai until the results suddenly changed overnight
allowing his Kremlin-backed rival, Andrei Tarasenko, to claim victory.
Sunday’s vote was a second-round runoff after Tarasenko failed to win at
least 50 percent of the vote in the first stage.
Tarasenko on Thursday accepted the annulment of the vote.
“There have been too many complaints, everything has to be fair and decent.
The cancellation of the vote result is fair,” he told Russian media.
The Communist Party had earlier urged authorities to call the race for
Ishchenko instead of re-running it.
Communist candidate Ishchenko said he will appeal the election commission’s
decision in court and that he planned rallies in Vladivostok, the capital of
Primorsky Krai.
In Moscow, electoral head Pamfilova welcomed the decision saying “there was
no other way out in this situation.”
Asked if she can guarantee that the next vote will be fair, she told
Interfax news agency: “Now only God can guarantee things.”
On Wednesday she said there were “serious violations” in the vote and
referred to instances of ballot-stuffing and bribes, but denied that it was
rigged in favour of the Putin-backed candidate.
Local authorities are due to set a new date for the vote later this month.
While nearly every election in Russia is marred by claims of vote-rigging,
the opposition and ordinary Russians said ballot-stuffing during the far
eastern vote was especially brazen.
According to the official results, Tarasenko won 49.55 percent of the vote
after a sudden surge, while Ishchenko received 48.06 percent.
That result came despite the Communist Party candidate enjoying a five-
point lead when more than 95 percent of votes were counted.
The Kremlin this month suffered election blows in the regions of
Khabarovsk, Khakasia and Vladimir, where ruling party candidates failed to
win in the first round.
BSS/AFP/FI/1348 hrs