Moscow City Election Committee has no plans to recount votes

Moscow’s city election commission has received no reports about violations during ballot counting at the September 8 elections of the Moscow mayor, chairman of the Moscow City Election Committee Valentin Gorbunov told a news conference on Monday. When asked by Itar-Tass to comment on Alexei Navalny’s (opposition candidate for Moscow mayor) demands to cancel voting results outside polling stations and recount votes at two of them, he said that the Moscow city election commission did not plan to do that. “Votes were recounted at those stations where there were questionable situations,” he said. “These procedures were broadcasted, as was the entire process of voting. Everything was monitored by the Public Chamber.” “It is nothing but a PR action,” Gorbunov said, commenting Navalny’s pronouncements. In his words, voting results can be challenged only through court. According to the Moscow city election commission, as many as 104,694 Moscow residents, or 1.44% of Moscow’s eligible voters, voted at home. As many as 3,558 absentee vote certificates out of 5,500 were issued.