Russian opposition challenges Putin with walkout

A large opposition faction stormed out of Russia's parliament on Wednesday to protest Vladimir Putin's refusal to look into claims of vote-rigging in a mayoral election that has sparked nationwide anger.       

Putin, who returns for a third term as Russian president on May 7, told the Duma he had no authority over local elections and suggested that critics go to court instead to contest the result. His remarks prompted the entire Just Russia faction to leave the session.       

Oleg Shein, a member of the Just Russia party who ran for mayor in the southern city of Astrakhan, has been on a hunger strike for 27 days to protest the results of the March 4 poll that he and other opposition figures said was marred by rampant fraud in favor of a Kremlin-backed candidate. About 20 of his supporters have joined the hunger strike.       

Shein's protest has received nationwide attention, drawing support from a range of opposition groups struggling after Putin's victory in March's presidential vote. Opposition members have increasingly tried to focus on local elections and saw the Astrakhan vote as a flagrant example of fraud.       

AP