30,000 former KGB officials to monitor poll in Russia
Moscow (PTI): Thiry thousand former KGB officials and retired employees of the Soviet era law enforcement bodies have been mobilised by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) to thwart possible rigging of ballots during tomorrow's poll to the State Duma.
They will monitor the polls to the lower house to thwart rigging of ballots in favour of President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party, which has been widely using its administrative resources during the campaign that ended midnight on Friday night, KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov said.
According various opinion surveys, KPRF, the only potent opposition to the pro-Kremlin party, is poised to get at least 10 per cent votes threshold for its proportional representation in the 450-strong State Duma.
Zyuganov said his observers will monitor counting of ballots in at least 30,000 polling stations spread over 11 time zones and their reports would be used for projecting a true picture of the polling.
Kremlin insiders said, a decisive win for United Russia can give Putin, who will step down in March 2008, a mandate to pull the strings of power, even without holding any government post.
According to Chairman of Election Commission Vladimir Churov, political parties would send an estimated 1.5-2 million observers to some 96,000 polling stations across the country and in all about 350 international observers will be monitoring the elections.
For the Russians living abroad, 360 polling stations would be set up in the Russian diplomatic missions in foreign countries, including in India.
Over 350,000 police officers and para-military forces have been deployed to avert terror strikes, local media reported.
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