Putin says Web cameras will monitor vote

MOSCOW, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Voting in Russia's presidential election will be monitored by Web cameras, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Friday.

Putin, who is running for president in the March election, made the announcement after dissidents charged fraud in recent parliamentary elections, RIA Novosti reported. A large rally was held last Saturday in Moscow to protest those results.

"The maximum task is to equip 100 percent of the polling places with Web cameras," Putin saidl

Putin served as president from 2000 to 2008 and was named prime minister by his successor, Dmitry Medvedev.

The share their United Russia Party picked up in the parliamentary elections, almost 50 percent, was too big to be true, dissidents said.

On Thursday, Putin participated in a live television session where he took questions for 4 1/2 hours. He denied any election fraud but promised to take additional steps to prevent it in the presidential vote.