Duma Protests Getting Real

I have a brief reprieve from exams, so I'm back for a moment. Also, This doesn't count as a post about the election anymore, because things are getting weird:

In the immediate day or two after the election, there were a few small comparatively small protests. Now they have mushroomed into something enormous.

I haven't had much time to look into this too deeply, but this quote from a 65-year old ex-communist is very telling [link]:

"I defended the parliament building in 1993 from tanks. This is similar in numbers and its unanimity to the rallies of the early 1990s, but the goals are different.

"The regime must work honestly or leave. Most people don't trust their fancy words any more. It's becoming a mass phenomenon, and it's great to see so many young people here."

Wow. I have heard numbers of up to 100,000 in Bolotnaya Square in Moscow alone. That group's demands supposedly are these:

1) Freeing of political prisoners.
2) Cancellation of the results of the Duma election.
3) The resignation of the head of the Central Election Commission Vladimir Churov.
4) The registration of all political parties (many were denied it this time), and a re-run of the Duma elections.

Apparently even the state-sanctioned opposition parties, including A Just Russia, are planning protests for next week. An interesting winter lies ahead.

* The poster held in the picture reads "ENOUGH LIES. [GIVE] RUSSIA HONEST ELECTIONS!"