Some 10,000 residents of Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad took part in a protest rally in downtown Kaliningrad Saturday, police reported.

The rally was initially planned as protest against transport tax hikes but grew into a large-scale political demonstration. "No incidents were reported," a police spokesman said.

The regional legislature approved a tax hike in late November 2009 and a December 12 protest followed. On January 28, 2010, the legislature, the regional duma, adopted new amendments into the law on transport tax, in line with which the tax will be kept at the current level throughout 2010 but will be raised in 2011.

Konstantin Doroshok, a rally organizer, who leads the Justice public organization, praised the rally participants.

"Kaliningrad residents today showed that the authorities have to reckon with them. The partial giving up of transport tax hikes proves this," he told RIA Novosti on Saturday.

The protest rally involved representatives of the Communists, Liberal Democrats (LDPR) and other parties and public organizations, who also demanded that regional governor Georgy Boos resign.

KALININGRAD, January 31 (RIA Novosti)