(Bloomberg) — The last time Vladimir Putin’s political party won national elections, ballot-stuffing allegations sparked the biggest protests of his rule. All but one of the 19 candidates he’s grooming have been accepted by authorities overseeing the vote. “There’s no reason to hide that you’re with Khodorkovsky,” said Baronova, a 32-year-old rights advocate for the exiled tycoon’s Open Russia foundation. Last time, United Russia gained a comfortable majority in the State Duma, 238 of 450 seats, though it won just 49 per cent of the official tally. Those demonstrations rattled Putin, who directed the blame at Clinton, accusing her of sending an activation “signal” to “some actors” inside Russia.

Source: National Post August 24, 2016 22:30 UTC