Support The Moscow Times!

Shein Arrives in Moscow to Meet With Churov

Astrakhan mayoral candidate Oleg Shein, speaking at a rally Saturday in his support. Alexandra Odynova

The Astrakhan mayoral candidate who has been on a month-long hunger strike to protest an electoral loss he says was tainted by fraud, filed a lawsuit Monday before heading to meet with the head of the elections commission.

Oleg Shein wrote on his LiveJournal blog that he had filed the lawsuit before boarding a plane to Moscow for a meeting with the Central Elections Commission's chief Vladimir Churov late Monday. They were scheduled to watch videos containing alleged vote-rigging at the Astrakhan polls.

Shein, the head of the A Just Russia party in the Astrakhan region, officially received less than 30 percent backing at the polls, while his rival, United Russia candidate Mikhail Stolyarov, won 60 percent of the vote.

Together with several supporters, Shein has been on hunger strike since March 16.

Last week, Rostelecom finally provided footage from the webcams at 203 of the city's polling stations. But it turned out Monday that video recordings from at least 18 stations are still missing, Shein told Kommersant FM radio after filing the lawsuit.

The videos are needed to back the lawsuit with evidence, he said.

The election results can be overturned if a court voids the returns from at least 25 percent of the polling stations. But the opposition says it has little trust in Russian courts to act independently of the ruling United Russia.

The election and its aftermath have become a lightning rod for the country's nascent opposition movement and thousands rallied in the center of Astrakhan on Saturday calling for a fair vote. Shein has repeatedly said he is ready to stop his four-week hunger strike if the Central Elections Commission orders a new vote.

On Monday, Central Elections Commission officials showed journalists footage from three polling station cameras, but reiterated that the recorded violations were not enough to lead to a new vote.

“Violations during the vote counting were found at four stations, while in five other cases observers didn't receive final protocols,” the commission's deputy chairman Leonid Ivlev said, Interfax reported.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more