US rebukes Russia on vote, warns of blacklist

US: US lawmakers rebuked Moscow's leadership Wednesday for "manipulating" recent elections, and urged legislation to blacklist any Russian believed responsible for rights violations from traveling to the United States.

At a US Senate hearing focused on corruption and rule of law in Russia, days after tens of thousands of demonstrators marched charging electoral fraud, State Department officials said they recognized a "national awakening" among Russian citizens calling for accountability of their government.

Protesters allege the majority won by United Russia in the parliamentary elections early this month were the result of ballot-stuffing amid reports of irregularities by Russian and international observers.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said Moscow's leadership chose to mark the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union "by manipulating elections and engineering a carefully orchestrated political switch" for the vote to ensure Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev swap positions. AFP