Denis Sinyakov/Reuters
A protester held up a sign that read, "I did not vote!" in Moscow on Sunday.
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: December 5, 2011
MOSCOW — Western election monitors said on Monday that they had observed blatant fraud, including the brazen stuffing of ballot boxes, in the parliamentary elections that delivered surprisingly big losses to United Russia, the party led by Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin.
Members of Nashi, a pro-Kremlin youth movement, held a victory rally in Moscow on Sunday night.
The scathing report by international observers, combined with dramatic, mostly amateur, footage of alleged election malfeasance posted on the Web, made clear that the authorities would face continuing questions about the fairness of the vote despite the main party’s steep losses.
On Monday evening, thousands of demonstrators gathered on a promenade by the Chistye Prudy metro station in central Moscow, and voiced their opposition to the government at an event organized by the Solidarity Party. Throngs chanted “Russia without Putin!” and “Putin is a Thief.” Police officials estimated the crowd at about 2,000 though some participants said it was larger. There was a heavy police presence and some protesters were detained.
Earlier in the day, thousands of supporters of United Russia held a celebratory event in Revolution Square that took place without incident.
With more than 95 percent of the votes processed, United Russia led with a shade under 50 percent, trailed by the Communists with 19 percent, Just Russia with 13 percent and the Liberal Democrats with nearly 12 percent, according to the Central Election Commission.
After the redistribution of votes for parties that did not clear a minimum threshold to enter the Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, United Russia will have 238 seats, or just under 53 percent, down from the 315, or 70 percent, that it holds now, election officials said.
The observers, from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said their main concerns were about an overall flawed framework that marred the campaign, including no separation between the government and the main political party; the lack of independence for election administrators and the absence of a free, independent mass media.
Some opposition parties were prohibited from running in the elections at all, the observers said. Those that could run faced huge disadvantages as United Russia employed government resources in support of its political aim, the observers said.
Tiny Kox, a senator from the Netherlands and a leader of the monitoring mission, said he personally observed violations including a case at one Moscow polling station where first the voter lists disappeared and then the ballot boxes were opened and clearly stuffed.
“It’s a major violation of the protocol,” he said, “and I think it’s a major insult to all those who voted that day, all these millions of Russian voters.”
But Mr. Kox and other officials said they were precluded from rendering any judgments on how the irregularities might have influenced the results. Observers were not present for the 2007 parliamentary elections because of disputes with Russian election officials. And with tensions high this time as well, officials seemed to be taking extra care not exceed the basic parameters of their role as monitors under multilateral agreements.
Opposition leaders, however, were less circumspect in accusing United Russia of tilting the outcome. “These elections were unprecedented in their filth, pressure and falsification,” said Gennadi A. Zyuganov, the leader of the Communist Party, which finished second, winning about 90 seats.
Mr. Zyuganov said his party would immediately demand a greater say in the running of the government, including the installation of one of its members as deputy speaker of parliament.
Sergei Mironov, the leader of the Just Russia party, also leveled allegations of fraud. At a news conference, Mr. Mironov on Monday said the party was specifically intent on investigating a case of ballot-box stuffing in St. Petersburg, including reports of bundles of premarked ballots. He said the party also wanted an explanation of extremely high voter turnout in two regions, Chechnya and Mordova, southeast of Moscow.
Of United Russia, he said, “They were swindlers and committed gross violations.”
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