SPILF 2023 Discusses Securing Electoral Processes

Speaking at the 11th St Petersburg International Legal Forum’s panel Protecting National Interests to Build and Develop Civil Society on May 11, 2023, Igor Borisov, member of the CEC of Russia and CSTO PA expert, drew the audience’s attention to the important joint work done by the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and the CEC to secure electoral processes.

He noted that a difficult task of ensuring free expression of the will of the voters in the face of increasing pressure and outside interference needs to be addressed.

“The West prepares for our elections no worse than we do. Therefore, it is necessary to have ready-made arrangements to counter external influence and interference in the elections. Within the framework of the CSTO and CIS, CEC representatives are now preparing relevant acts aimed at counteracting such interference,” said Igor Borisov.

In 2022 with the active participation of the CEC of Russia and the Russian Public Institute of Election Law, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly developed Recommendations for the Improvement of Legislation in the Area of Securing Electoral Processes and Sovereignty in the CSTO Member States, which were adopted in Moscow on December 5. This document was the first CSTO act explicitly aimed at protecting electoral sovereignty and electoral rights of citizens from external infringement. The Recommendations consolidated the states’ efforts to counter external interference and better protect citizens’ electoral rights.

“Attempts to influence the electoral processes of sovereign states to distort the real will of our citizens are only increasing. We periodically observe outbursts of extremism and terrorism caused not only by painful process of the multipolar world formation and activities of NATO ‘think tanks’ generating ‘smart technologies,’ but also by political and economic crises, spiritual and moral degradation of certain Western countries and instigation of racial, national and religious hatred constantly arising in the global geopolitical landscape. These objectively existing modern phenomena require consolidated efforts of the CSTO Member States to secure political processes, allowing citizens to exercise their constitutional right to take part in governing their state and in local self-governance through free elections and referenda,” said Igor Borisov commenting on the need for further work in this area.