Gorbachev calls for new elections

MOSCOW, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev called Wednesday for a re-do of Russia's parliamentary elections that he said were marred by fraud.

The former president said Russia's leaders should admit "there were numerous falsifications and rigging, and the results do not reflect the people's will," the BBC reported.

"I think they [Russian leaders] can only take one decision --annul the results of the election and hold a new one," Gorbachev said.

He said each day the number of Russians who do not believe the results were honest is increasing.

"In my opinion, disregard for public opinion is discrediting the authorities and destabilizing the situation," Gorbachev said.

The human rights adviser to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev criticized Moscow police and the courts for their response to opposition demonstrations in Moscow.

Police detained more than 600 people in two days of protests over alleged fraud in Sunday's parliamentary elections in which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party retained a slim majority.

Mikhail Fedotov, chairman of the presidential council for human rights and civil society, said police and courts "just can't handle this kind of situation," RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. Police said they were acting within the law.

Fedotov also criticized a Moscow court's handing down 15-day jail sentences to two of Monday's protest organizers -- anti-regime blogger Alexei Navalny and opposition Solidarity leader Ilya Yashin -- for disobeying police orders.

"If a person commits an administrative offense, namely, takes part in an unauthorized rally, the maximum penalty they may get is a fine. They do not face administrative arrest," Fedotov said of the court's ruling Tuesday.

After Monday's rallies, Russian authorities moved to quash another round of protests Tuesday against the government and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, filling the rally sites with pro-government activists to counter demonstrators and their chants of "Russia without Putin," The New York Times reported.

Officials estimated 5,000 to 6,000 protesters were at Tuesday's demonstrations. Riot police officers dragged off many of the protesters, the Times said.

Fedotov said he also was concerned about reports detainees were denied food or water for hours, RIA Novosti said.

"This is absolutely unacceptable," he said.