Gorbachev urges poll rerun amid protests

FORMER Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has called for Russia’s elections to be rerun due to fraud, as the opposition vowed new rallies contesting the results despite mass arrests.

Police put a huge security cordon around the square in central Moscow which saw the latest protest to prevent a new demonstration, as the opposition called for a mass gathering near the Kremlin on Saturday.

The protests and a loss of support in the parliamentary elections have provided Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin with an unexpected challenge as he prepares to contest a return to the Kremlin in 2012.