Source: HRO.org (info), 27/03/12

· Electoral rights  · Astrakhan region

The Presidential Council on Civil Society & Human Rights has called on all branches of government, the Central Elections Commission and the General Prosecutor’s Office to sort out the situation that has arisen in Astrakhan as a result of the mayoral elections.

Voting took place on 4 March and was accompanied, according to members of the opposition, by mass electoral fraud that significantly distorted the election results.

The opposition candidate for the office of mayor, a representative of Just Russia Oleg Shein, according to the official results lost the election to a candidate from United Russia and subsequently went on hunger strike, along with more than ten of his supporters. They are demanding the annulment of the results.

The Council on Civil Society & Human Rights underlines that ‘it is impossible to ignore the signals of mass violations of citizens’ electoral rights that are coming from Astrakhan, and such situations themselves have a negative impact on the image of the authorities,’ Radio Liberty reports.