Zyuganov calls for special commission to probe election fraud

Moscow, Mar 22 (UNI) Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov has demanded to set up a special commission to conduct a probe in the vote rigging, allegedly carried out by the authorities, in favour of Dmitry Medvedev, backed by President Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev, with 70.28 per cent votes, defeated his nearest rival Zyuganov, who received 17.72 per cent votes, in the presidential election.

Western observers said the vote in the presidential election on March 2 was flawed, but broadly reflected the will of voters.

''We believe that a special commission, comprising deputies from the State Duma, lower house of parliament, senators of the Federation Council, upper house, and the Kremlin administration must be set up to investigate the facts relating to the election's total falsification,'' Zyuganov told reporters on Sunday at a Communist Party conference near Moscow.

He said he had already filed official requests to relevant authorities on setting up the commission, but has so far received no reply.

The other two candidates in the election, ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Democratic Party leader Andrei Bogdanov, received 9.34 per cent and 1.29 per cent votes respectively.

Russian election officials and monitors from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) said the polls had taken place without serious violations.

However, Europe's main election watchdog, the OSCE, boycotted the polls over restrictions, it said, imposed by Russia.

Earlier this month, Putin signed a decree to designate special status of President-elect to Medvdev, who has already moved his office to the Kremlin. He will be officially inaugurated as President on May 7.

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