CSTO PA observers began their work at the parliamentary elections in Russia

A group of international observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization that carries out international monitoring of the preparation and conduct of the election to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation has arrived in the Russian Federation and began its short-term monitoring of the election campaign.
The group consists of representatives of the parliaments of the CSTO Member States: the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan and the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, the observer to the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.
The group coordinator is Arman Kozhakhmetov, Chairman of the Committee on Legislation and Judicial and Legal Reform of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
On September 16 in Moscow, international observers from the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly will meet with Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and the leadership of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation; they will also visit a number of precinct election commissions in Moscow to learn about the preparation for voting.
On September 17 in Moscow, international observers from the CSTO PA will hold a number of meetings in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation with representatives of all political forces represented in the State Duma of the seventh convocation and participating in the election campaign; meet with representatives of non-parliamentary parties participating in the election campaign and visit the Public Headquarters for Election Observation in Expocentre at Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.
On September 18 in St Petersburg and Leningrad oblast, the international observers from the CSTO PA will visit some polling stations, hold meetings with representatives of the St Petersburg Election Commission, the Centre for Public Election Observation and representatives of the St Petersburg Government.
On September 19, again in Moscow, observers from the CSTO PA will be present at the opening of polling stations, observe the voting process from the opening of precinct election commissions till the end of the vote counting.
As you may recall, a group of international observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization conducts international observation of the election to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation at the invitation of Valentina Matvienko, Chairwoman of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, working in the cities of Moscow and St Petersburg and also in the Moscow and Leningrad oblasts.