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ST.PETERSBURG, Russia — President Dmitry Medvedev chided officials in the ruling Kremlin-backed party with unprecedented bluntness on Saturday, saying they should stop trying to manipulate elections and learn to win fairly.
The statement was his strongest criticism yet of the United Russia party led by his predecessor and mentor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. United Russia controls parliament and serves as a base for Putin, who has not ruled out a return to the presidency in 2012.
While unusually direct, Medvedev’s statement appeared to be an attempt to respond to opposition criticism of local elections rather than mount a challenge to Putin.
