International Monitoring in Grodno: Elena Stalbovskaya Observes Russian State Duma Elections

On September 20, Elena Stalbovskaya, member of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and international observer from the CSTO PA, is monitoring the parliamentary elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation at the polling station № 8409, located at the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Grodno.

Seven polling stations have been set up for Russian citizens residing in or visiting the Republic of Belarus (one each in the regional capitals, in Minsk, and in the city of Bobruysk) so that they can exercise their right to vote and every vote is taken into account. The polling stations opened at 8:00 and will close at 20:00.

Elena Stalbovskaya shared her first impressions:

"We all know well that citizens' trust in election results rests on the principles of competitiveness and transparency, which in turn are ensured through the work of international observers. Citizens want an independent, objective assessment of the electoral process in their country. The main goal of our monitoring is to assess how well-prepared the electoral system is and how it operates in practice, as well as to evaluate its compliance with international law. International observers act impartially and objectively, guided by the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and respect for national legislation. This work also allows us to study best practices from other countries and share our own experience, since election laws and the election process itself are constantly being improved everywhere," Elena Stalbovskaya pointed out.

The observer noted that the entire electoral process is well-organized and strictly adheres to the highest democratic standards at every stage.

"Today, on the main voting day, turnout has been quite high since the polling station opened. The voting is proceeding calmly and in accordance with established procedures. Full transparency of the elections, access for observers and open monitoring of the voting process are all being ensured at the polling station," Elena Stalbovskaya said.