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Candidate for Moscow mayor calls Navalny's rejection of polling results ungrounded

All parties, including independent observers, recognize elections, says Mikhail Degtyarev

Photo ITAR-TASS/ Denis Vyshinsky

Photo ITAR-TASS/ Denis Vyshinsky

MOSCOW, September 9 (Itar-Tass) - Mikhail Degtyarev, who ran for Moscow mayor with the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), has said the words of opposition candidate Aleksei Navalny, who rejected the polling results, were absolutely groundless.

“All participants except Navalny, independent organizations, including a public headquarters led by Aleksei Venediktov, recognized the results of the elections,” Degtyarev told Itar-Tass on Monday. “The voting was held smoothly, with no violations. Neither are there claims to the vote counting procedures.”

Degtyarev noted that if he were Navalny, he would have kept his “mouth shut at all.” “He [Navalny] could have been banned from taking part in the elections more than once,” he said. “But he was helped instead when United Russia party members put their signatures [of lawmakers from municipal legislatures needed] to have him registered as a candidate. Such pronouncements like his are unethical. He would better get prepared for next elections rather than rocking the boat.”

Such behavior, in his words, showed the “lack of political culture.” “In other countries, they put people in prison for sedition,” Degtyarev noted. “It is not a manly position. I wish he were getting prepared for litigations and commenting on them.”

“Should [acting Moscow Mayor Sergei] Sobyanin win 50.001 percent of the vote, the choice of the Muscovites should be respected in any case,” he added.

Earlier on Monday, opposition activist Aleksey Navalny, who finished second in the election race for the Moscow mayor far behind the frontrunner, said he did not recognise the polling results and demanded a vote recount.

Appearing before journalists, he called on Moscow authorities to discuss recounting at “abnormal ballot stations” and invited residents to attend an authorised rally on Monday evening.

Official data from the Moscow city election commission shows acting mayor Sergei Sobyanin won 51.37 percent of the vote. Navalny, who ran for mayor with the RPR-PARNAS party, won 27.24 percent. The turnout was 32.07 percent.

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