Updated July 27, 2019, 1:50 p.m.Russian police arrested more than 600 people Saturday as they protested in Moscow against the exclusion of opposition candidates from a local election later this year.OVD-Info, an independent political monitoring group, said 638 people, including prominent activists, were detained as police and protestors clashed around the mayor’s office. Police said earlier 295 people were arrested but did not immediately disclose a final number.Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested earlier in the week for calling for Saturday’s protest to persuade authorities to allow opposition candidates to participate in a Moscow city council election on September 8.Several other opposition leaders were arrested before Saturday’s protest, including Ilya Yashin, Dmitry Gudkov and Ivan Zhdanov.Some 3,500 people took part in Saturday’s protest, which was declared illegal beforehand. Last week 22,000 demonstrated in a similar Moscow protest.Police stormed Navalny’s video studio as it was broadcasting the protest via YouTube and arrested program leader Vladimir Milonov.Police also searched the Dozhd internet television station, which was also covering the protest, and ordered editor-in-chief Alexandra Perepelova to be questioned by authorities.Election officials have barred some opposition candidates from seeking office, allegedly for not having enough signatures on their nominating petitions.The Moscow city council, which has 45 seats, is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of the seats are up for grabs on September 8.The protests and arrests come amid declining living standards and President Vladimir Putin’s falling approval ratings. 
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