Alexander Veshnyakov

[1] President Vladimir Putin simply did not put forward Veshnyakov’s name for renewed membership of the election commission.

‘[His] ousting, according to some experts, can be explained by his critical attitude to the most outrageous amendments to the electoral legislation (the abolition of the minimum turnout and the ‘none-of the above’ entry on the ballot),’ political commentator Dmitry Shusharin wrote for the country’s state new agency, RIA Novosti.

[3] ‘And even if there were no such remarks, his eight years in the post have earned Veshnyakov considerable weight in the country and the world, making him a media person of note.

[4] The Kremlin, the radio reported, had been looking for a senior post away from Moscow to which it could send Veshnyakov, who was well known in Russia as the often outspoken former head of the Central Election Commission.

His replacement, former ultranationalist State Duma deputy Vladimir Churov, had said he was "less likely to comment on election law and more inclined to get things done" than Veshnyakov.