Doubts Over Putin’s Mega-Rally in Moscow

By ⋅ February 23, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment
Play
Download
Massive rally for Vladimir Putin in Moscow (Photo: BBC video)

Massive rally for Vladimir Putin in Moscow (Photo: BBC video)

Tens of thousands of Russians turned out to cheer Vladimir Putin today.

Police say an estimated 130,000 people packed a soccer stadium to hear him speak.

Putin is running for president again, a post he held for eight years before his current stint as Russia’s Prime Minister.

The election is just ten days away.

But not everyone in the crowd was an enthusiastic Putin supporter.

“Most of the people that I spoke to, weren’t really shouting or waving signs,” says Miriam Elder, Moscow correspondent for the British paper, The Guardian.

“There were a lot of workers that were taken in on the train and brought to Moscow.”

The people wouldn’t say they forced to come, Elder tells Lisa Mullins. They say they were “invited”, and give you a wink.

However, Elder says there’s no doubt Putin will win the election on March 4th. He remains genuinely popular outside of Moscow.

Discussion

One comment for “Doubts Over Putin’s Mega-Rally in Moscow”

  • Anonymous

    As I listened to the Guardian reporter’s story about the Russian presidential election I couldn’t help think how similar their electoral system is to ours here in the US.  Putin “controls” the media just like the oligarchs who purchase our elections control our media.  Companies “require” their workers to go to Putin rallies while the corporations and oligarchs in America pay tea party and other political rallies.  The Russian oligarchy seems to support Putin in Russia and American oligarchs like the Koch brothers and Wall Street support both the Republicans and the Democrats in America.  It would be more enlightening for me if PRI would provide us with more information on our own corrupt political system.