Vladimir Putin casts his ballot in Russian local elections

Russian President Vladimir Putin cast his vote in local elections today after a campaign overshadowed the Kremlin's biggest crackdown on protesters in years. Moscow's parliament elections have taken on a rare significance after a series of opposition candidates were barred from the ballot, sparking mass protests. Tens of thousands of people have joined demonstrations to demand a fair vote, joined by rap stars and prominent bloggers, and nearly all the opposition candidates in Moscow were briefly jailed. The government clampdown was the biggest in Russia since a wave of protests in 2011-12 when Putin returned to the presidency.  Russian President Vladimir Putin casts his vote in local elections in Moscow today (pictured) after a campaign overshadowed by mass protests and arrestsOpposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose allies were blocked from running, urged voters to vote tactically in order to punish the Kremlin and the ruling United Russia party. Putin voted in the Moscow election today and his motorcade was seen travelling through deserted streets. Asked if he wanted to see more candidates on the ballot, the Kremlin chief said it was the 'quality' that mattered, not the quantity.   RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Is this the Queen of the 'Russian Atlantis'? Archaeologists... Donald Trump hails Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchange as 'a... Share this article Share Lyubov Sobol, a lawyer for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund who was barred from running, said the current elections had lost the last veneer of legitimacy.Voter interest appeared low on Sunday, with just 5.6 percent of the electorate casting ballots as of noon, the city elections commission said. 'Of course no one wants to go to the polls,' Sobol, who has emerged as the brightest star in a new generation of political challengers, told reporters. Tens of thousands of people have protested to demand a fair vote (one of the demonstrations is pictured) and nearly all the opposition candidates in Moscow were briefly jailedAlyona Prokhorova, a 46-year-old mother of four, said she was so shocked by the clampdown that she signed up to be an election observer to monitor for possible irregularities.     Two unsanctioned protest rallies were harshly dispersed by police, who beat some demonstrators and detained more than 2,400 people in all.A later sanctioned protest attracted some 60,000 people.  Russians were also electing governors in 16 regions and elections to legislative assemblies were taking place in 13 regions. The polls will be seen as a test of 43-year-old Navalny's ability to mobilise Kremlin critics ahead of parliamentary elections in 2021.  Navalny himself was arrested during the campaign.  Navalny tried to challenge Vladimir Putin for the Russian presidency in the 2018 election but a court stopped his campaign after a fraud conviction seen by many as politically driven. The Kremlin has long dismissed him as a trouble-maker and urbanite out of touch with ordinary Russians. B

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