| The liberal group Committee 2008: Free Choice is planning
to file a lawsuit next week with the Supreme Court over the results of
last year's parliamentary elections, which the group claims are invalid.
The group is joining forces with the Yabloko party and the Communist
Party in its lawsuit.
Yabloko failed to break the 5 percent barrier to get into the State
Duma, and the Communists lost half of their seats in the elections. The
two parties carried out an alternative tally of the vote, which they claimed
revealed ballot stuffing that gave a small boost to the Kremlin-backed
United Russia party and was sufficient to squeeze Yabloko and the Union
of Right-Wing Forces party out of the Duma.
Committee 2008: Free Choice formed after the elections with a pledge
to find a democratic alternative to President Vladimir Putin's regime
in 2008. The group includes chess master Garry Kasparov, former Union
of Right Forces leader Boris Nemtsov and former presidential candidate
Irina Khakamada.
See also:
the original at
www.themoscowtimes.com
Elections to the State
Duma, 2003
| 