#Russia: 'Challenges to democratic commitments remain'

©OSCE/Thomas Rymer

Elections for the State Duma in the Russian Federation took place on 18 September. According to the preliminary conclusions of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE/ODIHR) Election Observation Mission, the elections were transparently administered by the Central Election Commission, but democratic commitments continue to be challenged and there were numerous procedural irregularities.

The OSCE reports that ‘the electoral environment was negatively affected by restrictions to fundamental freedoms and political rights, firmly controlled media and a tightening grip on civil society.’ The Central Election Commission (CEC) reacted to reported irregularities, including ballot box stuffing and carousel voting, and announced preliminary voter turnout at 48 per cent.

Head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation, Marietta Tidei said: “Ella Pamfilova’s leadership at the Central Election Commission has given election stakeholders confidence that the elections can be well run, yet the low-key campaign shows an overall lack of engagement…I hope that we will soon see more political alternatives engaging the public in proper debate.”

While 14 parties ran countrywide and more than 6,500 candidates were registered, there were limitations on the right to stand and excessive registration requirements, particularly for independent candidates. The four parliamentary parties continued to dominate the political landscape, but did not offer clear political alternatives, which limited voters’ choice.

The major topics of the campaign were the socio-economic situation, political stability and foreign policy issues.

In some local state structures there were attempts to influence voter choice and to pressure them into voting for the governing party.

“Election day was orderly overall, but the long-term observation showed that challenges to democratic commitments remain, especially with regard to the media, candidate registration and legal framework,” said Ambassador Jan Petersen, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election observation mission. “In our final report we will address specific shortcomings and I hope that the authorities take serious steps to improve the electoral process.”

In an EU statement on the elections the EU spokesperson drew attention to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and that the EU does not recognise the holding of elections in the Crimean peninsula. The participation of diplomats from EU countries was limited to those activities within the framework of the OSCE monitoring mission, it was also limited to the recognised territory of the Russian Federation, which does not include the illegally-annexed territories.

The European Council's General Affairs Council agreed that the European Council in October needs to hold a full discussion on Russia in October. The discussions will go beyond the issue of sanctions and deal with wider threats that Russia presents to democracy.

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