Putin Responds to Protesters’ Accusations of Stolen Votes
Just two days after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won over a slim parliament majority, the party is responding to mass protests and accusations of rigging votes.
"There will be a significant renewal of personnel in the government," said Putin to United Russia members on Tuesday.
The United Russia Party now holds 238 out of 450 seats in State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia. The party previously held a 300-seat majority.
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United Russia would still need to create more allies within parliament to establish the two-thirds majority it needs to make changes to the Russian constitution.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Putin, said the party would respect the rights of some protesters, but not all.
"Those who hold sanctioned demonstrations should not have their rights limited in any way -- and that is what we are observing now," said Peskov. "The actions of those who hold unsanctioned demonstrations must be stopped in the appropriate way," Peskov added.
U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her own concerns about the recent parliamentary election and the need for a “full investigation.”
"The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted, and that means they deserve free, fair, transparent elections and leaders who are accountable to them,” said Clinton.
Approximately 300 out of about 5,000 protesters were arrested after Monday’s rallies.
One protest organizer, Ilya Yashin, was sentenced to a 15-day detention by a Moscow court.
"Of course we will continue protesting," said Yashin. "This is no doubt a political decision aimed at intimidating me and my colleagues. We are not going to stop our struggle.”
Although Putin’s popularity has dropped in the polls, the 12-year ruler of Russia is still expected to win Russia’s Presidential election next March.
