Massive Moscow rally puts heat on Putin
Source: Agencies |
February 5, 2012, Sunday
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TENS of thousands of Russians flooded downtown Moscow yesterday to demand an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's rule, casting a strong challenge to his bid to reclaim the presidency in March.
The massive protest - which drew 120,000 people, according to organizers - reflected a mounting opposition to Putin's 12-year rule that has badly dented his father-of-the-nation image, even though he's expected to win the vote that would extend his rule by another six years.
The protest leaders hope to stage another rally a week before the March 4 election to raise the heat on Putin. The previous rallies -the second of which also drew an estimated 120,000 - were the biggest in Russia since the protests 20 years ago that paved the way to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Yesterday, protesters wearing white ribbons and holding placards reading "Russia Without Putin!" and "For Free Elections" braved temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius as they marched about one kilometer to a square across the river from the Kremlin where their rally was held. Authorities had sanctioned the protest, even though they had rejected the organizers' earlier request to gather just outside the Kremlin. Thousands of police monitored the peaceful protest.
"So many of us have come that they can't arrest all of us," said 56-year-old Alexander Zelensky.
He and his wife, Alyona Karimova, said they had begun preparations to emigrate to Canada in the fall, but then changed their minds and decided to stay in the hope that Russia will eventually move toward democracy. "This is going to be a gradual process, but we believe it will eventually lead to democracy and free elections," Karimova said.
An anti-Putin protest also took place in St Petersburg yesterday, drawing 5,000 people, and smaller rallies were also held in several dozen of cities across Russia.
In Moscow, the protesters, many bundled in fur coats against the cold, chanted "Putin, go away!" and "Russia without Putin!" Communists and nationalists also joined the protest, waving big flags.
The demonstrations in December were triggered by evidence of fraud in favor of Putin's party in December's parliamentary election. Putin has ignored the demands for a repeat election, but he has sought to assuage the mostly urban middle-class protesters' anger by making vague promises of liberalization.
The presidential race is pitting Putin against three leaders of parliamentary parties, who have run against him in the past, and one fresh face - the billionaire owner of New Jersey Nets basketball team, Mikhail Prokhorov.
None of the contenders is expected to pose any serious challenge to Putin, whose ratings are now hovering just below 50 percent needed for a first-round victory in the March 4 election. If Putin fails to win outright, he will face a runoff three weeks later, likely with Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov, a rival he could easily defeat.
In an apparent attempt to demonstrate public support for Putin, his backers gathered across town, but their rally only drew about 15,000.
The massive protest - which drew 120,000 people, according to organizers - reflected a mounting opposition to Putin's 12-year rule that has badly dented his father-of-the-nation image, even though he's expected to win the vote that would extend his rule by another six years.
The protest leaders hope to stage another rally a week before the March 4 election to raise the heat on Putin. The previous rallies -the second of which also drew an estimated 120,000 - were the biggest in Russia since the protests 20 years ago that paved the way to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Yesterday, protesters wearing white ribbons and holding placards reading "Russia Without Putin!" and "For Free Elections" braved temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius as they marched about one kilometer to a square across the river from the Kremlin where their rally was held. Authorities had sanctioned the protest, even though they had rejected the organizers' earlier request to gather just outside the Kremlin. Thousands of police monitored the peaceful protest.
"So many of us have come that they can't arrest all of us," said 56-year-old Alexander Zelensky.
He and his wife, Alyona Karimova, said they had begun preparations to emigrate to Canada in the fall, but then changed their minds and decided to stay in the hope that Russia will eventually move toward democracy. "This is going to be a gradual process, but we believe it will eventually lead to democracy and free elections," Karimova said.
An anti-Putin protest also took place in St Petersburg yesterday, drawing 5,000 people, and smaller rallies were also held in several dozen of cities across Russia.
In Moscow, the protesters, many bundled in fur coats against the cold, chanted "Putin, go away!" and "Russia without Putin!" Communists and nationalists also joined the protest, waving big flags.
The demonstrations in December were triggered by evidence of fraud in favor of Putin's party in December's parliamentary election. Putin has ignored the demands for a repeat election, but he has sought to assuage the mostly urban middle-class protesters' anger by making vague promises of liberalization.
The presidential race is pitting Putin against three leaders of parliamentary parties, who have run against him in the past, and one fresh face - the billionaire owner of New Jersey Nets basketball team, Mikhail Prokhorov.
None of the contenders is expected to pose any serious challenge to Putin, whose ratings are now hovering just below 50 percent needed for a first-round victory in the March 4 election. If Putin fails to win outright, he will face a runoff three weeks later, likely with Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov, a rival he could easily defeat.
In an apparent attempt to demonstrate public support for Putin, his backers gathered across town, but their rally only drew about 15,000.
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