Russia’s electoral authorities are due to release the final results from last weekend’s disputed parliamentary elections.
The Central Election Commission has said that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won nearly half of the votes in the December 4 elections.
The opposition says the elections were unfair and marred by violations.
Hundreds of people have been arrested during demonstrations to protest alleged election fraud.
Opposition activists say some 30,000 people have promised to attend a protest planned for December 10 in Moscow, and similar protests have been called in other cities across Russia as well.
Putin, who is almost certain to win the presidency in March, has accused the United States of encouraging the protests.
Putin on December 8 said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “gave a signal” to the opposition.
In Brussels, Clinton maintained that her concerns about the conduct of the elections were “well-founded.”
compiled from agency reports