"We put up with whatever doubts-but then, they are to be debated not in the press but in the court of law. If there really was monkey business, it must have a judicial appraisal. The Central Election Commission is interested in it no less than the people who are suing it at the Supreme Court."
That is not a first accusation the opposition is hurling at the commission, he went on. "Now is a third wave of political charges. As the matter stood before, their authors had no legal evidence-nothing but political rhetoric."
As soon as the State Duma, parliament's lower house, was elected, December last, the Communist Party leader came out with a loud accusation. As the Communist top alleged, proceeding from its own parallel vote count, the Union of Right Forces, led by Boris Nemtsov, Irina Hakamada and Anatoli Chubais, and Grigori Yavlinsky's YABLOKO had overleapt a threshold to obtain parliamentary representation.
As things really were, the Communist count received figures with a token difference from official. So the party soon stopped publishing them on its website, and the accusation fell like a house of cards, stressed Mr. Veshnyakov.
The YABLOKO filed lawsuits to argue the election returns for close on 70 constituencies. Almost all court hearings are over now-and not a single verdict came in the plaintiff's favour.
Files pertaining to the Communist and YABLOKO suit have not yet reached the Central Election Commission. "We are ready to peruse them so as to address the court," Alexander Veshnyakov rounded off his statement.
