Russians Protest Vladimir Putin

Tens of thousands of Russians turned out Saturday to protest alleged election fraud and the rule of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The protests, in cities across Russia, are a sign of growing public frustration with Putin, although the Associated Press reported that the opposition still appears too weak to get real change from the prime minister. Authorities exhibited restraint in dealing with the protesters, giving permission to many of the demonstrations. Typically, officials in Russian cities refuse to grant permission for large gatherings, the AP said. Police said there were only about 100 arrests nationwide, the news agency added.The largest protest was in Moscow, where tens of thousands of people jammed a large square. Police estimated there were 30,000 people, but aerial photos suggested far more, the AP reported.Term limits forced Putin to step aside as president -- Russia's most powerful office -- after serving two terms, from 2000 to 2008. He has since served as prime minister but is widely expected to win next year's presidential elections scheduled for March. Despite growing public distaste for him, no opposition candidate has emerged capable of beating him. Putin's United Russia party barely held on to its majority in parliament in elections last weekend, but observers contend the party would have fared even worse if not for election fraud.Golos, an independent Russian election-observer group, said Saturday that Putin's party "achieved the majority mandate by falsification," while international observers said there were widespread irregularities, the AP reported. >To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints