Election Marathon, part 1

Moscow is under semi-siege conditions. Semi-, because half of the city doesn’t even notice. The other half, in its turn, is split into two camps. Liberal opposition, creative class, irritated urbanites are for fair elections; others, no less irritated, defend the idea that the elections are fair anyway and only well-paid idiots can doubt it. The other, pro-state, camp is so sure of it that it has announced 15 (yes, fifteen!) meetings for today. Since it is illegal to advertise them as rallies to honor Putin’s victory, they are named, with varying degrees of credibility, “The Choice Is Made”, “Victory Parade”, etc.

Rumol – by CEC building, Bolshoi Cherkasski pereulok 9 (100 participants); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Rumol – RIA Novosti bld., Zubovsky boulevard (50); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Rumol – Lubyanskaya square by the Solovki stone (800); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Rumol – Chistoprudny boulevard, Griboedov monument (300); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Rumol – Pushkinskaya square (1000); 7 am – 11 pm.

Rumol – Novopushkinski square (1000); 7 am – 11 pm.

Molodaya Gvardiya – Moscow State Electoral Commission, Mokhovaya 11 (up to 20); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Molodaya Gvardiya – square near Karl Marx monument (1000); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Molodaya Gvardiya – Bannyi pereulok 3 (20); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Molodaya Gvardiya – Teatralnaya square (100); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Nashi – Manezhnaya square (15,000); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Nashi – Krasnopresnenskoy Zastavy square (500); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Nashi – Kaluzhskaya square (500); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Nashi – Bolotnaya square (2000); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Nashi – opposite the TV center near the Dvortsovy Pond (200); 3 pm – 11 pm.

Since last night, the WebVybory site has been displaying images from all web cameras installed at polling stations all over the country. During the night, this turned into a kind of a reality show; hundreds of screenshots were edited into jocular advertisement for ‘Big Brother’-like shows, and everyone argues whether it’s ethical or not to watch them.


Night at the polling station. Show us your love.


Night at the polling station. Disco.


Night at the polling station. Ballots already in the box.


Night at the polling station. The polling booth is already occupied.


27,533 observers went to the polling stations all over the country, many of them in Moscow. They, too, can be observed via webcams. Sometimes it seems like society gossip.


Observer Leonid Parfyonov (TV presenter and writer)



Observers didn’t wait until today to start publishing what they perceive as infractions.

Since early morning today, Facebook, Twitter, and Russian Facebook clone VKontakte were all flooded with such notifications; it’s unclear how the observers even manage to observe when they write so much.

Victoria Boyarskaya, observer:

“ I managed to penetrate the FSB (Federal Security Service) hospital polling station at 8.10 am.

1. The ballot box is not transparent.

2. They prohibited making photos at once. No discussion. They said: if you take pictures, we’ll remove you, and you’ll never come back.

3. For the time being, about 20 people not in previous lists have received ballots. They write applications right there and they receive their ballots. They do look like patients, in slippers and gowns. I’m ashamed to say I had not studied the rules of voting at hospitals. Is it allowed? Or should I file a complaint? I don’t want to alienate the commission just yet :-)”



Kseniya Leonova, observer

“Station 117, Taganka, Moscow. About 50 people vote without absentee certificates, as employees of “Metallcenter” company. The local Electoral Commission had to provide the right to vote to these people three days before the elections, by law. But the head of Precinct polling board just signed off on it. It’s not clear how to rectify this infringement: most people have voted, their ballots are in the box. Now they can vote anyplace else. At PPB (Precinct polling board) 118, a bus has arrived; there’s no signage on it, but lots of voters on board.”



Mikhail Svetov, observer authorized by candidate of the municipal council: LEC 3188, South Tushino

“There are ten buses by the polling station, people have been coming since early morning, the line has formed almost by the opening time. The buses keep coming. People line up on the stairs, here’s a fixer managing the work of the commission. He calls out people by the first letters of their last names; people detach from the crowd and come up to pick up their ballots. This has been going on since early morning.”



Yekaterina Svarovskaya, observer:

“Station 1796, 9.45 am. Four young people. Three of them vote by AVCs one by one, they cover their faces from the phone camera. They talked to the commission member with the casting vote authority, then they left. Before that, an observer from the neighboring station 1797 called and said that the same thing was happening over there, only there were ten guys. It’s 10.40 am now, they sealed the first ballot box and went away with 22 ballots plus 5%, that’s two extra. I am the only observer from “Grazhdanin Nablyudatel” here. The turnout is high. I’m very hungry.”

There are hundreds (plural) such messages all over the social networks.

Now for the most important thing: the CEC head Vladimir Churov and President Dmitry Medvedev have voted already.


Let’s hope their voices will be counted correctly.


Coming soon: new suspicions of infringements, funny pictures and the merry-go-round.