MOSCOW - A Russian liberal party accused President Vladimir Putin of abusing his authority in the run-up to Sunday's parliamentary election that is expected to consolidate his grip on power.
Putin heads the United Russia list of candidates in the poll which the pro-Kremlin party should win by a landslide, enabling him to exert political influence even after stepping down as president next year.
On Thursday, Putin used major television channels to appeal to the nation to vote for United Russia, causing an outcry from his few political opponents who accused him of abusing his clout as Kremlin chief to back a single party.
"I complained to the Central Election Commission about the president's campaign speech on Thursday. I raised the question with the CEC on whether this speech had been paid for from United Russia's election fund," Sergei Mitrokhin, deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party, told radio Ekho Moskvy.
"From my point of view, this was a flagrant violation of the legislation, an abuse of office in the interests of one party. I also demanded that other leaders, in particular Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky, be given the same amount of time on Channels One, Two and Four."
The Kremlin and United Russia could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mitrokhin's comments were the latest expression of frustration and anger by Russian opposition figures who have seen their rallies broken up, their leaders detained and the air waves dominated by pro-Kremlin forces.
Senior United Russia figures have billed the election to the State Duma (lower house) as a referendum in support of Putin who has been in power in the Kremlin since 2000.
Most Russian voters credit the 55-year-old former KGB spy with restoring stability and economic growth after the chaos of the 1990s. Opinion polls indicate his party will pick up about 60 percent of the vote on Sunday, with its nearest rivals trailing far behind.
