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Public Chamber receiving first reports on supposed violations, most of them false

Signals start pouring in about supposed box stuffing mostly from observers of the League of Voters and the Yabloko Party

MOSCOW, March 4 (Itar-Tass) — The call-centre of the Russian Public Chamber (OP) started receiving first reports on supposed violations at polling stations on the Russian presidential elections; however, most signals have turned to be false, said on Sunday OP member Maxim Mishchenko.

“Signals start pouring in about supposed box stuffing mostly from observers of the League of Voters and the Yabloko Party,” he said, adding that he “quickly reviews on monitors polling stations online, contacts heads of election commissions and re-examines information”.

He specially noted at the same time that “most signals turned to be false”. “For instance we have just received information on ballot box stuffing at polling station No. 82 in the Omsk Region. I quickly recorded video from the polling station (in Twitter) and called the polling station, spoke with staff member Svetlana Rogaleva,” Mishchenko said.

“According to Rogaleva, this is a provocation: nothing of the sort happened at the polling station: there is a quiet and working atmosphere at the election commission,” he explained.

The call-centre received 29 calls at 06.00 MT from public observers, working at polling stations in the subjects of the Russian Federation.

The OP press service reported that calls came from the Far East, the Khakassia and Altai republics as well as from the Altai Territory and the Kemerovo Region. “Some observers record a low turnout, others, on the contrary, report high activity of voters,” the OP noted.

Besides, the chamber added that it “receives from time to time information on vague videos from webcams, which is immediately checked up at the OP call-centre.

All in all, 202 people work at regional Public Chambers in monitoring the elections (they are registered as representatives of the official site of the Russian Public Chamber www.oprf.ru).

The Public Chamber will work in a special regime on March 4-5: all information on voting in the regions is posted on the site in a special section “Diary of public observer”.

The “hot line” of the Russian Public Chamber is also operating on March 4 from 02.00 to contact voters.

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