Penza, 21 January 2012. PenzaNews. Picket “For fair elections and decent life” organized by the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation took place near the Regional Board of Honour and Fame at Kirov Street on Saturday, January 21. About 40 people took part in the picket as compared to some 300 persons (7 times as many people) who participated in the last two protests organized by Penza communists on December 10 and 24, 2011.

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At the same time, according to the first secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Georgy Kamnev, popular indignation which has swept through several regions of the country after the State Duma elections of December 4, 2011 stays unabated.

“Many people do not agree with the results of the popular vote despite the fact that officials speak about the fairness of the latest elections. They know the mood of the people and communicate with their relatives and friends,” he said.

Georgy Kamnev emphasized that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation will try to prevent the same situation from happening during the Russian presidential election on March 4, 2012.

“We think that it is only because people went out on the streets that the authorities decided to install video cameras and transparent voting boxes at the polling stations. But besides vote fraud on the election day, there is pressure before that when people are forced to take absentee ballots and directed where to vote,” the first secretary of the regional committee said.

Thus, in his opinion, it is necessary to fight violations of election legislation before the election day too.

“In addition, we consider it necessary to hold a re-run of the State Duma elections in December this year. But to hold them fairly under control of all political parties and without pressure on the people,” Georgy Kamnev summarized.

Besides the picket, Penza communists organized a traditional memorial during which flowers and wreaths were laid at the foot of the monument to Vladimir Lenin at the central square of Penza.

After that Georgy Kamnev thanked former editor-in-chief of the regional newspaper “Nasha Penza” (Russian for Our Penza) Aleksandr Marynov for his continued cooperation over the years and handed him a medal “In commemoration of the 130th anniversary of I.V. Stalin’s birthday”.

At the close of the picket the first secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation announced that the leadership of the party’s regional office had filed an application with the authorities to hold a street procession in Penza on February 4 as part of the all-Russian demonstration “For fair elections”.