Russian prime minister says US secretary of state 'gave a signal' to Kremlin opponents by calling the elections rigged
Vladimir Putin has accused the US of encouraging the protests over Russia's parliamentary election and warned of a wider crackdown on unrest.
The Russian prime minister said Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, "gave a signal" to Kremlin opponents by describing the country's parliamentary election as rigged. "They heard this signal and with the support of the US state department began their active work," he said.
Protesters have taken to the streets in Moscow and St Petersburg for the past three nights, despite heavy police presence, outraged over observers' reports of widespread ballot box stuffing and manipulation of the vote count in Sunday's poll.
The demonstrations have been some of the biggest and most sustained seen in Russia for years, and there have been hundreds of arrests.
Putin's United Russia party barely held on to its majority in parliament, with official results giving it about 50% of the vote, down from 64% four years ago. But the fraud allegations indicate that support for United Russia was even lower as Russians grow weary of Putin and his party after nearly 12 years in office.
Putin warned that Russian authorities might take an even harder line: "We need to think about strengthening the law and holding more responsible those who carry out the task of a foreign government to influence our internal political process." Some 50,000 police and troops have been patrolling the streets in Moscow, backed by water cannon.
Russia's only independent election monitoring group, which is supported by grants from the US and European governments, has come under heavy official pressure in recent weeks, and its website has been attacked by hackers.
Opposition groups have called for a rally near the Kremlin on Saturday. More than 17,000 people have signed up to a Facebook page to support the demonstration.
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/08/vladimir-putin-hillary-clinton-russia
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