MOSCOW”•In a packed room, supporters of Russia’s main opposition leader Alexei Navalny scribble notes as a lecturer gives tips on how to nab ballot-stuffers at Sunday’s polls.
Keep toilet breaks discreet, avoid getting into fights and resist invitations from polling station officials to slip away for lunch, says lecturer Nikolai Levshits.
“On March 18 you’re the main heroes of the day,” he said.
“Just your presence at the polling station halves the risk of violations.”
Navalny, whose bid to stand for president was scuppered by a criminal conviction, has urged supporters to boycott the polls.
He dismisses even the nominally oppositional candidates as hand-picked by President Vladimir Putin.
But he nevertheless told supporters to chronicle violations as authorities are expected to go all-out to boost turnout after a lacklustre campaign.
“We are putting out a huge number of observers for the first time. It’s a very complex process. [The authorities] are really bashing us,” Navalny told Echo of Moscow popular radio station on Wednesday.
Across Russia, law enforcement has raided the offices of Navalny supporters and detained and jailed organizers.
Navalny has urged against street protests on polling day as a potential “gift to the Kremlin.”
Nevertheless, another opposition figure Ilya Yashin told AFP he expected some protest activity.