Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters marched in Moscow on Tuesday , rejecting the legitimacy of President Vladimir Putin and demanding new elections , a prominent opposition leader said . `` We believe that his presidency right now is not legitimate at all , '' former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told CNN from the rally . The elections in March that returned Putin to the presidency after four years as prime minister `` were not free , they were not fair and the results were not credible , '' Kasyanov said . The only thing that Putin should do now is `` sit with us on a round table and discuss the terms and conditions of his departure , '' Kasyanov said . International observers said in March that the elections did not meet international standards . The presidential election came just months after allegations of fraud in parliamentary elections prompted the largest anti-government demonstrations Russia had seen in two decades . Kasyanov called for more street demonstrations to increase pressure on Putin , but said the opposition was not trying to mimic the Arab Spring . `` The best way is just peaceful protests on the streets , '' he said . `` We would like something like what happened at the end of the '80s in eastern Europe '' when Communist regimes fell without violence in the face of public dissent . The demonstration finished without violence and with noticeably less police presence than at a protest before Putin 's inauguration last month . More than 250 people were arrested at that demonstration , including leading opposition figure Boris Nemtsov , leftist radical group leader Sergei Udaltsov and popular blogger Alexei Navalny , Moscow police told CNN . In March , Putin won the country 's presidential election with nearly 65 % of the vote , claiming victory amid allegations by independent polling monitors of widespread electoral violations . International observers said there was legitimate uncertainty about the vote , with chess champion-turned opposition activist Garry Kasparov accusing Putin 's supporters of `` massive fraud . '' Putin , the former KGB officer who has worked to both stabilize Russia 's economy and curtail dissent , held the presidency for eight years before term limits forced him to step down in 2008 .
Hundreds of thousands of people show up to protest . It 's time for Putin to discuss the terms of his resignation , an opposition leader says . They reject Putin 's departure as legitimate , saying the vote was not free .