Russia news election law violation putin election watchdog

Supporters of the Russian Communist Party rally on January 21, 2012 in Moscow against election violations ahead of the March presidential polls. Russian investigators on January 21 said they had launched a probe into multiple violations during last month's parliamentary polls, ahead of a new report by Western observers. Since the December 2011 elections, Russians have held unprecedented mass rallies against vote fraud in a major challenge to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's rule as he seeks a return to the Kremlin in March elections.