WIDESPREAD ALLEGATIONS OF FRAUD

Vote monitors from the opposition and bloggers posted allegations of election rigging across the country of 143 million. Golos, an independent monitoring group, said it had registered at least 3,100 reports of violations nationwide.

An Interior Ministry spokesman denied there had been any major violations. Election officials also dismissed reports of widespread fraud in a parliamentary election on December 4 which triggered the opposition protests.

Thousands of opposition activists as well as an international observer mission were also monitoring the polls.

The opposition protests were sparked by the disputed December 4 election, but anger was focused at Putin, who bungled the September 24 announcement of his presidential bid by appearing simply to inform Russians that he would rule for another six years.

Putin, who will not formally take office until early May, now faces huge economic and political challenges.

“It’s a watershed – Russia faces decline and stagnation unless they really kick-start reforms, and push forward an ambitious reform agenda,” said Tim Ash, head of emerging markets research at Royal bank of Scotland in London.

© Thomson Reuters 2012

Tasks

Critics cry foul as Vladimir Putin wins

Russian election in a landslide)

1. Vocabulary:

Foul

Landslide

resounding victory

exit polls

to mar by

untransparent

fraud allegations

public backing

pawn

skew in smb’s favor

to oversee

margin

ally

to be barred from

macho antics

bare-chested

to rig

violation

presidential bid

to bungle

watershed

kick-start

2. Single out stylistic devices in the following sentences:

a) “I think they are preparing a huge falsification. Emperor Putin has decided everything.”

b) But some voters are tired of his macho antics, such as horse riding bare-chested, and a system that concentrates power in his hands. They fear he could win another term in six years and rule until 2024 – almost as long as Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

c) “It’s a watershed – Russia faces decline and stagnation unless they really kick-start reforms, and push forward an ambitious reform agenda,” said Tim Ash, head of emerging markets research at Royal bank of Scotland in London.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Do all the former candidates agree with the elections results? Speak about Putin’s opponents and their arguments.

2. Speak about his supporters. How did Putin act after the elections on the 4^th of March?

3. What are the results of monitoring the polls?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The article was written on the 4^th of March. Can you add anything to given information about the presidential elections in Russia?

2. How can you explain the growing opposition in big cities and the great support of Putin in the provinces? (see opening lines of Part 2 - SUPPORT IN THE PROVINCES)

3. Do you think violations took place or not? Do you agree with the statement: “This is the cleanest election in Russia’s entire history,”

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 664