Moscow is bracing itself for trouble on Monday, March 5, with thousands of rival demonstrators expected to take to the streets this evening in post-election rallies, after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was elected President in an election the opposition claim was flawed, RIA Novosti reports.
Two mass rallies by Putin’s supporters are scheduled for Monday. The first one which is expected to bring together as many as 20,000 people, will take place on Manezhnaya Square, the same venue that hosted Sunday’s meeting where Putin arrived as the winner of the polls.
“It will be a meeting of voters’ gratitude,” pro-Kremlin youth group, Nashi (Ours) organizers said.
The second gathering, which will be held in the form of a concert will take place Revolution Square.
Russia's presidential elections on Sunday brought Prime Minister Vladimir Putin a landslide victory, winning him 63.71 percent of the votes after 99.5 percent of ballots were counted. The communist leader Gennady Zyuganov received 17.19 percent, while billionaire-turned-politician Mikhail Prokhorov secured 7.88 percent of the vote.
The opposition will also gather at an authorized meeting on Pushkinskaya Square to protest the results of the elections that were allegedly fabricated in favor of Putin. Another opposition demonstration is expected at Lubyanka Square.
