Russia’s Left Front Movement coordinator Sergei Udaltsov on Monday said he joined a political hunger strike that was started 25 days ago by Astrakhan opposition politician Oleg Shein.
“I have joined the hunger strike with Oleg Shein. That way, there are already six people taking part in it,” Udaltsov said on his Twitter microblogging account.
Shein ran as a candidate for the A Just Russia party in the mayoral elections in Astrakhan on March 4, which was won by United Russia candidate Mikhail Stolyarov. Shein and his supporters went on a hunger strike against the results of the vote, claiming they were falsified.
A Just Russia party rejected the results of the vote and its leader Sergei Mironov alleged “gross violations” after polling stations closed and the party’s observers were expelled.
The participants of the strike are demanding that the results of the election be anulled. The decision to hold a hunger strike was made after activists trying to submit evidence of falsification were escorted from the Regional Election Commission office by police.
Shein denied on Sunday that he and his supporters are on the brink of death over their campaign.