Article
Looking ahead to Russia's election on Sunday
External relations - 28-02-2008 - 14:53
Early voting in Bolshoi Bor Village, Khakassia
Ahead of Sunday's Presidential election in Russia doubts have been raised about the extent the election is indeed an open and fair one. The European Parliament will not be sending any election observers after the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe announced that it would abstain from monitoring the election. The OSCE withdrew this month after a dispute with Moscow over the restrictions the Kremlin wanted to impose on the organisation.
Dutch MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten (EPP-ED) chairs the Parliament's delegation to Russia and regrets the attitude of the Russian authorities: "election observation is taking place in many countries in the world, and is neither an intrusion in the sovereign affairs of a country, nor any kind of punishment".
There will be an estimated 300 international observers in the country including 25 members of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
"Election has no political importance"
Foreign Affairs Committee member István Szent-Iványi was dismissive of Sunday's poll. "The election itself has no political importance. It is a carefully staged formal investiture of the successor already designated by President Putin," said the Hungarian Liberal.
The absence of the OSCE casts a shadow on the election process but it will probably not have a dramatic impact on EU-Russia relations. Dutch Socialist Jan Marinus Wiersma from the foreign affairs committee hopes that new Russian president "will be able to make a new start on two issues: first, the start of negotiations with the EU about a new partnership agreement. Second, progress in WTO membership for Russia".
After the Parliamentary elections in Russia in December the OSCE and Council of Europe concluded that the elections were not fair and failed to meet many commitments and standards for democratic elections. There was criticism of media restrictions and harassment of opposition parties and NGOs.
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