ALBAWABA - Unconventional protests have sprung up against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing presidential election, clouding the outcome. A complicated election has been made more so by reports of incidents ranging from arson to vandalism in different districts.
Three people were arrested after reports from Rostov, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and Moscow surfaced of someone throwing paint into ballot boxes. A Molotov cocktail was thrown at a polling place in St. Petersburg, while a voting booth was set on fire in Moscow.
A rather strange event happened in Moscow when a female voter filled a ballot box with green paint after casting her ballot. Ballots were damaged as a result of this conduct, and an arrest followed.
Citing election law violations, the Russian Investigative Committee moved quickly to begin an inquiry into these instances. Article 141 of the Criminal Code has been invoked to commence legal procedures, indicating a strong reaction to disturbances associated to elections.
As worries about the security and integrity of the voting process grow, these incidents highlight the elevated tensions surrounding the presidential election. Authorities are having a difficult time keeping the peace and making sure that voting is conducted in a fair and transparent manner as the election goes on.
