MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the upcoming presidential election in Russia on 4 March 2012 and the outcome of the Duma elections on 4 December 2011 (2012/2505(RSP))
8.2.2012
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Ria Oomen-Ruijten, Elmar Brok, Ioannis Kasoulides, Mario Mauro, Tokia Saïfi, Traian Ungureanu, Cristian Dan Preda, Jacek Protasiewicz, Krzysztof Lisek, Inese Vaidere, Francisco José Millán Mon, Elena Băsescu, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Paweł Zalewski, Alojz Peterle, Filip Kaczmarek, Nadezhda Neynsky, Arnaud Danjean, Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Joachim Zeller, Vytautas Landsbergis on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0052/2012
B7‑0056/2012
European Parliament resolution on the upcoming presidential election in Russia on 4 March 2012 and the outcome of the Duma elections on 4 December 2011 (2012/2505(RSP))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous reports and resolutions on Russia, in particular its resolutions of 14 December 2011 on the State Duma election[1] and of 7 July 2011 on preparations for the Russian State Duma elections in December 2011[2],
– having regard to the OSCE/ODIHR Final Observation Report of 12 January on the State Duma elections of 4 December 2011,
– having regard to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Committee's (PACE) final observation report of 23 January 2012 of the Russian parliamentary elections and its statement of the post-election delegation to Russia of 21 January 2012,
– having regard to the statement by EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton, on the Duma elections in the Russian Federation of 6 December 2011, and her speech of 14 December 2011 in Strasbourg on the EU-Russia Summit,
– having regard to the Statement of the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy of 15 December 2011 following the EU-Russia Summit,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas with a number of mass demonstrations since the Duma elections on 4 December 2011 the Russian people have expressed their will for more democracy, free and fair elections and a comprehensive reform of the electoral system;
B. whereas the Russian Federation as a full member of the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has committed itself to the principles of democracy and respect for fundamental rights; whereas serious concerns remain regarding democracy, the respect of human and fundamental rights, the rule of law and independency of judiciaries and repressive measures taken against journalists and the opposition;
C. whereas on 12 April 2011 European Court of Human Rights has ruled against the cumbersome registration procedures for political parties in Russia, which do not comply with the election standards set by the Council of Europe and the OSCE; whereas limiting the registration for political parties and candidates restrains political competition and pluralism in Russia;
D. whereas despite recently adopted initiatives to improve election laws the general rules remain overly complex and the inconsistent application of the rules discriminates against the opposition;
E. whereas Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated on 6 February 2012 that political life in Russia needs democratisation, especially by developing direct democracy and the fight against corruption;
F. whereas according to the OSCE/ODIHR Final Observation Report the DUMA elections of 4 December 2011 did not respect standards of free and fair elections and were marked by convergence between state and governing party including the lack of independence of the election administration, partiality of the media and state interference at different levels;
G. whereas according to the OSCE/ODIHR report the DUMA elections have brought about a high number of allegations of falsification including procedural violations, of apparent manipulation and serious indications of ballot-box stuffing;
H. whereas the preparations for presidential elections need to guarantee a free and fair process with equal chances for all candidates;
1. Takes note of the reports of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly with regards to the Duma elections stating that the elections have not fulfilled election standards as defined by the OSCE and were marked by the convergence of the state and governing party, by procedural violations, apparent manipulation and lack of independence of the election administration;
2. Notes that 500 international election observers were invited to the Duma election; stresses however that international and national election observation could not be fully deployed due to interference and hindrance;
3. Expresses its concern that the outcome of the elections (the composition of the Duma) will not allow for improvements regarding the role and the weight of the Duma within Russia's political system;
4. Takes note of the investigations into the allegations of fraud and of the high number of violations and fraud incidents reported so far; stresses that Russia's electoral legislation provides for appeal and rectification; points out however that the administration of complaints by the Central Election Committee has lacked transparency and did not address complaints effectively and in a timely manner; calls on the Russian authorities to continue to investigate comprehensively and transparently into all reports of fraud and intimidation with a view to sanctioning those found responsible and to rerun the voting where irregularities have been proven;
5. Takes note of President Medvedev's announcement for comprehensive reforms of the political system including the much needed simplification of rules governing the registration of political parties; calls for serious commitment to address the problems of media freedom, freedom of assembly and expression and to engage into a constructive dialogue with the society in a way that the fundamental human rights as part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are de facto implemented; reiterates the EU's readiness to cooperate with Russia in every possible way to improve the respect of human and fundamental rights and the effectiveness of an independent rule of law system in Russia;
6. Stresses that the peaceful demonstrations in Russia express the will of the Russian people for free and fair elections which Russia as a member of the OSCE and the Council of Europe has an obligation to provide; calls on the EU, in particular the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to express support to the Russian people demanding more transparency in elections; calls on the Russian authorities to take the recent rallies as an opportunity to take steps to bring about the necessary reforms for more democracy, political involvement and the rule of law, including the reform of electoral laws, in compliance with Council of Europe and OSCE standards; urges the Russian authorities to fulfil those standards in practise in order to guarantee free and democratic presidential elections in March with equal opportunities for all candidates;
7. Recalls that the restrictions to political pluralism during the preparation of the DUMA elections was one of the key flaws of those elections; expresses its concern regarding the exclusion of opposition candidates including Mr Yavlinsky, YABLOKO, from standing for presidential elections on 4 March 2012 which is once more undermining political competition and pluralism; calls on the Russian government to introduce a package of legislative proposals aiming at developing a truly democratic political system including reforms to facilitate easier registration rules for both, political parties and presidential candidates, and to address their prohibitive application so as to allow for genuine free and fair elections from the start of the registration process;
8. Calls on the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to follow up on the investigations into irregularities as well as to closely monitor the preparation of the presidential elections and enforcement of the electoral rules;
9. Calls on Russian Authorities to allow for sufficient and efficient observation of the presidential elections, in accordance with the OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe standards and to refrain from intervention against international, national and local observation actors before and during the vote;
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
- [1] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0575.
- [2] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0335.