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Moscow election commission denies plans of rigging absentee ballots

The Moscow Election Commission has categorically denied the allegations, declaring they were aimed at building up deliberate tension around the election

MOSCOW, November 24 (Itar-Tass) — The Moscow City Election Commission has denied media reports alleging that mass violations involving illegal use of absentee ballots were being planned in one of the Moscow districts.

An article placed on one of the Internet sites on Wednesday claims that Chief of Sokolinaya Gora municipality in the east of Moscow allegedly ordered managers of municipal enterprises to collect absentee ballots and turn them over to interested officials so that they could vote for the United Russia in the parliamentary election due on December 4. The Moscow Election Commission has categorically denied the allegations, declaring they were aimed at building up deliberate tension around the election.

The press center of the Moscow Election Commission said that the insinuations mentioned in the article contravene the already known facts, in particular, that the number of absentee ballots issued in Moscow by November 23 (24,000) are several times down their respective number issued in 2007 ( 157,000). The number of absentee ballots issued in Sokolinaya Gora municipality is below the average number of such absentee ballots issued in Moscow, the press center stressed.

Neither agitation nor any special plans of issuance of absentee ballots have been meant, the Moscow Election commission assured. A ballot paper cannot be used by any other person except the citizen to whom it was issued, the press center said. It also denied that the Moscow Election Commission had allegedly received a list of Moscow voters employed at enterprises with a round-the-clock production cycle.

The Russian Central Election Commission said that a total of 2. 6 million absentee ballots had been printed for the parliamentary election due on December 4. The absentee ballots have been issued since October 19 until December 3.

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