Russia to investigate possible vote fraud

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Sunday called for an investigation into possible vote fraud in the country's recent parliamentary elections. Medvedev took to Facebook to announce the probe, which was launched in the wake of massive protests across the nation claiming the voting had been rigged. "I agree neither with the slogans nor the statements voiced at the protests," Medvedev said in his posted statement. "Nevertheless, I have ordered checks into all the reports from polling stations, regarding the compliance with the election laws." CNN said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party took heavy losses in the voting but held on to its majority in parliament with 238 seats. The official results released Friday stirred up widespread suspicion that the results were fraudulent. On Saturday, thousands took to the streets in major Russian cities to demand new elections. Russia's RIA Novosti news service said 25,000 people turned out in Moscow and 7,000 rallied in St. Petersburg. There were no arrests or incidents of violence reported.