Russia sees polling station protests as Putin set to extend long rule

Lines at some polling stations in Russia grew suddenly at around 12pm local time Sunday, the hour at which supporters of the deceased opposition leader Alexey Navalny called on people to protest the election.

Russia saw protests at polling stations on Sunday on the final day of voting in an election set to extend Russian President Vladmir Putin’s long hold on power. Lines at some polling stations in Russia grew suddenly at around 12pm local time Sunday, the hour at which supporters of the deceased opposition leader Alexey Navalny called on people to turn out collectively as a show of opposition support. A CNN team at a polling station in Moscow said the line grew rapidly over a five- to ten-minute spell at around noon, and estimated 150 people had arrived. The CNN team said that police were letting people in batches through the gates to pass through security, with metal detectors and bags being checked inside the building. One 39-year old voter said he had come at noon “to see other people, and they have come too.” A woman told the CNN team, “This is the first time in my life I have ever seen a queue for elections.” Asked why she had come at that hour, she simply replied: “You know why. I think everybody in this queue knows why.”