Russia's Communist Party has announced that it will consider staging protests if the State Duma elections on Sept. 18 are found to be fraudulent, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported on Sept.13.
“In the event of problems, we will
consider holding rallies. Applications for permission to hold protests need to be submitted
several days in advance,” said Dmitry Novikov, the deputy chairman
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. He said that the party was already in the process of applying for permission.
Novikov said that the Communist Party are
counting on fair elections.
“I would like a single day of voting with the least possible amount of interference. If there is a significant level, and it does not seem like a statistical error, then we are going to react,” he said.
State Duma elections will be held on Sept. 18 using a mixed system: 225 deputies are elected on party lists (a proportional system), and 225 will be elected from single member constituencies (a majority system).
