Russian opposition to hold pre-inauguration rally

Moscow, Apr 22 (UNI) Russia's opposition has planned to hold Dissenters' March on May 6, the day before president-elect Dmitry Medvedev is sworn in, a senior opposition coalition member has said.

The Other Russia coalition, comprising chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov's movement and radical writer Eduard Limonov's outlawed nationalistic party, expected to gather more than 2,000 supporters here, the Ria Novosti Alexander Averin as saying yesterday.

''The application to hold another Dissenters' March was filed on April 21, Mr Averin said, adding the Moscow Mayor's Office was to reply in a week's time.

The opposition's previous unauthorised rally against the election of Kremlin-backed Medvedev in the capital on March 3 was dispersed by police, who briefly arrested an opposition party leader and a rights activist. A similar march in St Petersburg was attended by Mr Kasparov and Mr Limonov. Protestors called the March 2 polls ''undemocratic and a farce.'' Mr Kasparov's United Civil Front has obtained permission for a separate march in St Petersburg on May 1.

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