MOSCOW: Voting Lines Swell as Russians Protest Election
MOSCOW — As supporters of the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny urged people to protest the election, lines at some polling stations in Russia suddenly grew around 12 p.m. local time Sunday.
A CNN team on the ground in Moscow witnessed a rapid increase in the queue, estimating around 150 people had joined within a five to ten minute span at noon. Police were seen allowing people in batches through security, with thorough checks of metal detectors and bags inside the building.
One 39-year-old voter shared, “I came at noon to see other people, and they have come too.” Another woman expressed surprise, saying, “This is the first time in my life I have ever seen a queue for elections.” When asked why she had come at that hour, she simply replied, “You know why. I think everybody in this queue knows why.”
It remains unclear how many polling stations experienced a surge in wait times around noon.
Among those arriving at noon to cast their votes was Boris Nadezhdin, the prominent opposition candidate who was disqualified from running for president. Social media channels set up by Navalny’s supporters shared video clips of lines forming in various locations, including Moscow neighborhoods like Nekrasovka and Tservkaya Street, as well as spots in St Petersburg.
The Navalny team also posted an image from Novosibirsk with the caption: “Today is #noon. The protest has already taken place in the first cities of Siberia. We are looking forward to seeing you.”
Earlier this month, Navalny’s widow Yulia called for “an all-Russian protest action,” emphasizing the significance of standing up against Putin. She stated, “Alexey called for participation in this noon action against Putin and that’s why it’s so important to me.”
Voting in Russia has witnessed some acts of civil disobedience, with at least 15 criminal cases filed for incidents like pouring dye in ballot boxes, starting fires, or lobbing Molotov cocktails.
Sunday marks the final day of voting in Russia’s Presidential election, with President Vladimir Putin expected to secure a fifth term in office. The voting process spans across the country’s 11 time zones, from the far eastern regions near Alaska to the western exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Coast.
If reelected, Putin’s rule would extend until at least 2030, with the potential to stay in power until 2036 under constitutional changes made in 2020. This would solidify his position as Russia’s longest-serving ruler since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. — CNN
