Putin rules out new election

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Putin rules out new election

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Vladimir Putin has dismissed calls to rerun a parliamentary election.

16 December,2011 06:51 am

Vladimir Putin dismissed calls to rerun a parliamentary election in a marathon phone call-in on Russian television yesterday and ignored most of the demands of protesters complaining of electoral fraud and demanding an end to his 12-year rule.In a four-and-a-half hour call-in question-and-answer show, the prime minister held out the prospect of slightly easing his political control but shrugged off the significance of the biggest opposition protests since he rose to power in 1999 and deflected attention by criticising the West.Reaction on the social network Twitter suggested Putin came across as out of touch and, dressed in a suit and tie at a large desk as he took questions by phone and from a studio audience, he looked less at ease than in previous years.From my point of view, the result of the [parliamentary] election undoubtedly reflects public opinion in the country, Putin said in the show.