Another picket against parliamentary elections held in Rostov-on-Don

Activists of oppositional movements have held another picket against the parliamentary elections to be held in Russia on December 4, 2011. The picketers called citizens to refuse to take part in them by excluding themselves from voters' lists, or by spoiling the ballot paper.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the October 10 picket was held within the public campaign "Fictitious election - outside the law!", where citizens were encouraged to self-exclude from voters' lists and informed about formation of the "national list" for holding alternative elections.

About ten oppositional activists stood in the square in front of the Don Public Library holding A3-size posters saying that elections without the opposition are just a farce and a crime.

People of the elder generation took the brochures about the corruption in the country with enthusiasm and verbally supporting the picketers. Some of the young people passing by got frightened, while others stopped to read the posters, but then continued their way.

Three schoolboys stopped to ask how much the picketers would pay them for standing with posters beside. "We are not for money. By doing this, we create active civil society. Take a poster and stand side by side, if you care about your country," said Svetlana Novosyolova, one of the picketers.

At the end of the picket, the oppositionists took out a poster with a portrait of Sergey Yusov, Chairman of the Election Commission of the Rostov Region, and set it on fire. While the paper was burning, they all began chanting: "Fictitious elections - into the fire!" Policemen were quick to react: they asked to stop the action and observe fire safety.

"After the action, I was approached by policemen, who promised to sue me for arson. I don't remember the article they referred to, but for some reason it was a certain regional law. Then, they asked to follow them; I refused; but they said that they knew everything and would send me the protocol by registered mail," said Vladislav Ryazantsev, the organizer of the picket and coordinator of the "Left-Wing Front" in the Rostov Region, and added that he had already visited the territorial election commission to exclude himself from the voters' list.

"Members of the commission were horrified by my request. They asked: 'How is that?' I told them about point 16, Article 17, of the Federal Law No. 67. They accepted my application; an employee Erasova E. N. by name received it, put her signature, and promised to reply by mail one of these days," said Ryazantsev.