MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Communist Party, which earlier walked out of the lower house of parliament in protest against alleged election violations, demanded on Wednesday that the country's election chief resign.

On October 14, three opposition parties in the lower house of parliament left a State Duma session in protest against alleged fraud in the October 11 local elections, which the ruling United Russia party won by a landslide.

"We would not want our country to find itself in a political deadlock after it has found itself in a raw materials deadlock," Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov told the lower house of parliament.

The Communists are demanding that Vladimir Churov, chairman of the Central Election Commission, and Leonid Markelov, governor of the Volga Republic of Mari El, resign over alleged election fraud.

Zyuganov said the Communists have prepared a program for the country to get out of the current political deadlock, which they intend to discuss with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev soon.

The opposition has demanded a meeting with Medvedev to discuss electoral violations. The meeting, initially scheduled for October 27, could be held this week.

The ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party demanded a nationwide recount and State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov's resignation. It also said the polls in Moscow, Central Russia's Tula Region and the Volga Republic of Mari El should be declared invalid, and a new vote scheduled for March 2010.

- Back to the Top -        

- Back to the Top -        

---->

  Tweet