Dagestan: court recognizes violations in election of Derbent Mayor

Khanakhmed Khanakhmedov, head of the support office of Imam Yaraliev, a candidate for Derbent Mayor, said today to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Federal Judge of the city of Derbent Dzhambulat Gadjiev has found reasonable claims of individual voters who asked to nullify the totals of the election of the head of Derbent.

In particular, the claims of Murad Muradov, a member of the precinct electoral commission No. 30, and voters Rakhimat Idrisova, Sabilya Nagieva and Muradkhan Rabadanov were considered in the judicial order.

On October 9, Mr Muradov addressed the court with a demand to nullify the 600 ballot papers, signed by non-members of the precinct electoral commission No. 30. Representatives of the respondent failed to appear in the courtroom; therefore, Judge Gadjiev, having considered the circumstances of the case, already on October 10 made a decision in favour of Muradov.

Idrisova and Nagieva wrote in their application that on October 3 they were approached by three militiamen, three women and a man, who presented themselves as employees of the "Miloserdiye" (Charity). They started giving out pensions and added one thousand roubles to each, as if help from the charity fund because of the recent flooding. Then, the pensioners were asked to give their passport data and put signatures on clean forms.

The ladies note in their claim also submitted on October 9 that only later they understood that they "had been bribed by supporters of the incumbent Mayor of the city Felix Kaziakhmedov." Therefore, Idrisova and Nagieva asked to nullify the fact of their early voting for Kaziakhmedov. The court found their arguments reasonable.

Mr Rabadanov asked to nullify 351 ballot papers of early voting in the protocols of 15 polling stations: his claim was satisfied in the judicial order.

Murad Muradov said in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that "a criminal case had been initiated on fraud with 600 ballot papers."