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Russia Election: UK Keen To See Independent Report After Putin Claims Victory

Posted: 05/03/12 06:53  |  Updated: 05/03/12 18:17   PA

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Russia Elections Putin

Britain is awaiting the reports of independent election observers "with interest" after Vladamir Putin's claimed victory at the Russian polls.

The United Russia party leader told voters: "I promised you we would win, and we won" after exit polls put him on about 60% of the vote.

But the election has been dominated by allegations of widespread fraud with claims people are driven around by the busload to cast multiple votes.

The Foreign Office said the UK Government was keen to see the official reports of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which are due at around 2pm today.

A spokesman said: "We are waiting on the preliminary report of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission with interest.

"We fully support the important democratic elections in Russia as elsewhere in the world.

"As a Council of Europe member state Russia has an obligation to uphold key democratic norms and standards."

Putin's return to the Kremlin will be mark his third term as president and comes after one term as prime minister.

Police are braced for public disorder once the vote closes following unprecedented mass protests over Mr Putin's system of so-called "managed democracy".

Former foreign secretary David Miliband branded Putin a "ruthless" dictator whose days are numbered.

In an article for The Sun he warned it would be wrong to underestimate the "intelligent" leader but predicted he will not survive a six-year term at the Kremlin.

Miliband wrote: "It is wrong to underestimate Putin. He is intelligent, worldly and ruthless."

Relations between Britain and Russia reached breaking point after the murder in London of dissident critic Alexander Litvinenko but have been more cordial since Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to the nation last year.

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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who claimed victory in Russia's presidential election, tears up as he reacts at a massive rally of his supporters at Manezh square outside Kremlin, in Moscow, Sunday, March 4, 2012. Vladimir Putin has claimed victory in Russia's presidential election, which the opposition and independent observers say has been marred by widespread violations. Putin made the claim at a rally of tens of thousands of his supporters just outside the Kremlin, thanking his supporters for helping foil foreign plots aimed to weaken the country. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
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Britain is awaiting the reports of independent election observers "with interest" after Vladamir Putin's claimed victory at the Russian polls. The United Russia party leader told voters: "I promise...
Britain is awaiting the reports of independent election observers "with interest" after Vladamir Putin's claimed victory at the Russian polls. The United Russia party leader told voters: "I promise...
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jdwrdwr
17 Fans
09:50 on 08/03/2012
I am for truth justice and peace as was John Lennon and president Kennedy. How many world leaders and financial controllers want me killed as they were killed? If president Putin is a man of truth who wants to protect his country I support him. If he is not we are in a no win situation. We are as weeds against the mighty nations of Russia, China and Palestine. If we go to war we are a dead nation. As far as world economy goes we have no hope we are being enticed to make all sorts of economical claims spend spend spend when there is no money to spend. There is going to be a massive collapse of the monetary system and starvation and thermo nuclear war is about to destroy us if we do not look for and find truth and a way to establish peace and productivity in our own country and let the rest of the world do likewise.
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Real Change Not Farce
60 Fans
10:57 on 05/03/2012
OSCE are supported by money from here and abroad. As the saying goes who ever pay's the piper calls the tune. It would benefit the right wing western goverments to cause unrest in Russia as their are massive natural resources in the country that our greedy 1%'s cannot get their hands on and control. The same with Iran they need that oil and was the same story with Iraq, but its a waste of time for them firing one expensive missle at Syria as they have nothing. Somalia is a problem as it disrupts shipping so a bit of effort is required as that is costing profits re routing shipping around the coast.
Money calls the tune and our western goverments jump as soon as ordered, the rush for dwindling resources is accelerating and any country that cannot be bought are fair game for the money people, either by invasion or overthrowing of non compliant goverments by civil unrest.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
virtusfides
13 Fans
10:51 on 05/03/2012
Huff comments wrong at several points. First the fraud claim are launched by the Golos group a rumored US paid Russian action group, this as part of the 400 million rumored anti Putin funds set up by the US to organize demonstration and fraud claims. The second point is that independent Western observers did not find any busing around,would be impossible as ID had to be shown and was electronically registration a second attempt would be found out instantly.
That the election was in favor of Putin has no doubt, nobody like the communist back and of the other candidates they were not well known enough yet, that point was clearly in Putin's favor. However Putin will be 65 by the next election, it will be more then doubtful of of he will stand again.
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melezee43
9 Fans
09:57 on 05/03/2012
The guy who came in 2nd place had 17% of the vote, a 62 yr old communist leader, the other had less than 7% of the vote each ,while Putin had well over 63%, do you realy think the Russian people want to go back to the old communist days ,er I think not, they voted for and got a strong leader, who will contiinue to fight and root out corruption in this very large and diverse country.
The Uk should keep its snout out and stop interfering with how others run their country.
The leaders in the Uk should spend more time and money looking after their own people and problems.
The UK may be democratic, but it is not a fair country ,looking after the rich and wealthy.allowing them to loot the banks and taxpayer, with privitiation of Government, soon it will by UK Gov Plc, run by millionaires,for the benefit of the wealthy shareholders, the British Empire,within."
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gogsrule
60 Fans
09:21 on 05/03/2012
I'm sure our response will be tempered byb the fact that we buy large quantities of gas from Russia.
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francesmarkey
11 Fans
07:21 on 05/03/2012
BRITAIN CAN I ASK WHAT ABOUT SAUDI ARABIA, YES I SUPPOSE THAT HAS SHUT YOU UP, OH ALSO WHAT ABOUT US IN THE UK BEING IN THE EU DID WE EVER GET THE CHANCE TO VOTE,

Check this blog from another uk citizen who feels the same of most of us that the British government is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites and dictators.

If you mean the people, they voted to join a free trade organisation called the European Common Market (EEC) because they thought it would improve trade, therefore prosperity.

If you mean the Government, they accepted the change of the EEC into the European Union (EU). A wholly political enterprise designed by politicians wholly for the benefit of politicians.

The British people were not asked about this change because they would have almost certainly said: No.

So much for British "democracy".

If you are inclined to be sceptical about this view:

The EU Constitution was designed to take the political process much, much further. It was put to the vote in some major EU countries (Holland and France) and the voters rejected it.

UK voters were not asked because they would almost certainly have voted against.

So the politicians changed the name to the Lisbon Treaty and passed it into law without a vote.

LONG LIVE RUSSIA WHO KEEPS THE BALANCE.
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