Numerous videos appear to show Russian election ‘vote rigging’

VIDEOS have emerged apparently showing Russian election workers covering CCTV with balloons and people entering multiple voting slips, following Vladimir Putin’s presidential win.

A NUMBER of videos have emerged appearing to backup claims of “vote rigging” in the recent Russian election, showing people entering multiple voting slips and even using balloons to cover up CCTV when counting ballots.

Vladimir Putin secured another six years as Russia’s president in a landslide re-election victory, despite accusations from opponents of vote rigging, ballot-box stuffing and forced voting.

Mr Putin has ruled Russia for nearly two decades, but this election saw him record his highest ever percentage of votes, at a massive 76.66 per cent.

Since the election, dozens videos have started appearing online seeming to backup claims that the voting was rigged.

One video shows an election worker appearing to deliberately cover up CCTV cameras with a bunch of balloons before they begin counting the votes.

The man can be seen reaching into his jacket to pull out more ballot slips. Picture: Gulay_Pole/Twitter

CCTV shows the man entering multiple boats. Picture: Gulay_Pole/Twitter

Another shows a man repeatedly pulling out voting slips from his jacket and putting them in the ballot box, before a woman comes in a puts a whole pile of ballots in as well.

In separate footage a member of the electoral commission can be seen getting out a stack of forms and throwing them into the ballot box.

Since these videos emerged, authorities claimed that the results of seven polling stations across the county would be annulled due to violations.

Despite these blatant examples of ballot stuffing and other irregularities, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) claimed there were fewer confirmed violations than the 2012 election.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was barred from running in the election, oversaw a campaign for a vote boycott and sent over 33,000 observers across the country with manual counters to see how official turnout figures differ from those of monitors

Mr Navalny’s movement and the non-governmental election monitor Golos reported ballot stuffing, repeat voting and Putin supporters being bussed into polling stations en masse.

But the OSCE said that although the election was marred by a lack of “genuine competition”, it was generally well conducted.

— With AFP