Russia Dismisses Election Criticism from West
In Russia on Sunday, President Vladimir Putin's party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections. International observers strongly condemn the elections, saying they were not free or fair. Russian opposition groups say voters were pressured to vote for Putin's party.
The Bush administration and European leaders urged an investigation into charges of voting irregularities and the alleged use of state resources to support Putin's party's campaign. But Russian officials, including Putin himself, have dismissed the criticism, saying it is politically driven from the West.
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