Astrakhan protesters demand resignation of Russian government

In Astrakhan, over 50 people have come today with social demands to a rally, organized by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). Protesters stated the insolvency of the Russian government in the face of rising prices and tariffs and demanded its resignation.

Nikolai Arefiev, an MP of the State Duma of the sixth convocation and a member of the CPRF's faction, addressed the audience, noting that the growth of wages in Russia lags behind the price growth, while the govt's efforts to develop agriculture are insufficient.

"The stability that our authorities were so proud of, and to which our citizens got accustomed, is ending, or, rather, has ended. In the near future, we'll face layoffs, mass staff cuts, and closures of enterprises, shops, construction sites, that is, a new round of unemployment," Alexander Tokarev the secretary of the CPRF branch in the Astrakhan Region, said in his speech.

The rally chanted: "Medvedev's Government shall resign!", the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

At the end of the rally, its participants adopted a resolution, stating the need for an all-Russian referendum on nationalization of resources of raw materials, recovery of collective farms in villages, and adoption of the law on support for the elderly and veterans.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.