Russian president orders election probe

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced last night that he has ordered a probe into the allegations of electoral fraud during the country''s parliamentary vote, held on December 4. Tens of thousands of Russians rallied in Moscow and other cities on Saturday in the largest anti-government protest in the nation''s history to protest alleged fraud in the parliamentary election and to demand the departure of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Medvedev on Sunday broke two days of silence by posting a comment on his Facebook page. "I disagree with the slogans as well as with the speeches that were made at the rallies," he said, but added that he gave instruction for a check of the reports of fraud. He did not mention who would carry out the probe. (QNA) LY