Zyuganov Criticizes Election Results 🗳️

(6 Mar 2008)
1. Wide of Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov arriving at news conference
2. Cutaway of media
3. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party chief, former candidate for presidential elections:
"This country is a police-criminal state, and the police-criminal state is not able to conduct just, fair and democratic elections. This country is a state which serves the oligarchs, not caring about its regions and the people living there."
4. Cutaway of media
5. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party chief, former candidate for presidential elections:
"We believe that these were not normal elections, it was more like a special operation on continuing the old policy."
6. Cutaway of news conference
7. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party chief, former candidate for presidential elections:
"Today, half of the ministers are controlled by Putin and the other half - by a 'technical' premier. The days of 'technical' premiers are over. There should be a premier, who is able to respond for the results of his work. From now on Mr. Medvedev would have to bring all the ministers to account. And it is hard to imagine how he will ask Mr. Putin why the land has not been ploughed and the cows have not been milked."
8. Cutaway of media
9. Zyuganov leaving the news conference
STORYLINE:
Communist Party chief and leading opposition challenger in Russia's presidential election, Gennady Zyuganov, denounced the outcome of the presidential election in Moscow on Thursday.
Zyuganov said he was not satisfied with the outcome of the March 2 presidential elections and expressed concerns over violations in some regions.
"We believe that these were not normal elections, it was more like a special operation on continuing the old policy," Zyuganov said in a news conference.
He called Russia a "police-criminal" state, which "serves the oligarchs" and estimated the recent presidential elections as a "special operation" performed in order to continue the policy of incumbent President Vladimir Putin.
"Today, half of the ministers are controlled by Putin and the other half - by a 'technical' premier. The days of 'technical' premiers are over. There should be a premier, who is able to respond to the results of his work," he said.
Zyuganov expressed doubt that the president-elect Dmitry Medvedev would be able to control the Russian government.
"From now on Mr. Medvedev would have to bring all the ministers to account (for their actions). And it is hard to imagine how he will ask Mr. Putin why the land has not been ploughed and the cows has not been milked," Zyuganov told journalists at the news conference.
Medvedev won the elections with over 70 percent of the vote.
His landslide victory was virtually assured by a blessing from Putin, who said he would retain clout by becoming Medvedev's prime minister.

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