More blatant election-rigging emerges from Russia with pictures of people voting twice
Widespread vote rigging in Russian’s election last weekend has revealed on camera – with photos emerging of over a dozen people casting their ballot more than once.
On Sunday, Vladimir Putin secured his fourth term as Russian President, receiving more than 76 percent of the national vote.
But new pictures show the apparent reality of his victory, as everyday Russians cast their vote at several polling stations.
In one photo, Russian hospital administrator Lyudmila Sklyarevskaya is seen casting her ballot at two separate polling stations in the town of Ust-Djeguta, southern Russia.
When quizzed on the photos, Sklyarevskaya replied: ‘That’s not me’.
Another photo shows a man in a cap casting his vote at a polling station with a tiled floor, before proceeding to do the same.
It is claimed that many voters appeared to be state employees, with many arriving in mini buses that beard the name of state-provided services.
In all 12 polling stations, the turnout declared by election officials exceeded a tally kept of how many people voted.
At one polling station, the difference between the two figures was a staggering 528 votes, or 66 per cent of the votes cast.
Official results released on Monday showed the three polling stations had an average turnout of 81.5 per cent and delivered a majority for Putin of 89.86 per cent. National turnout was 67 per cent, according to the central election commission.
Dismissing claims of election rigging, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: ‘If these reports from the respected Reuters agency are backed up by corresponding statements to law enforcement agencies from the observers who were at each polling station, then it’s a worry. If they are not backed up, then it does not worry us at all.’