CSTO PA Observers Sign Final Report on Russian State Duma Elections

The CSTO PA international observers signed the final report on the results of their monitoring of the elections for deputies to the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the 9th convocation, which took place from September 18 to September 20.

According to the document, the parliamentary elections were organized within the constitutional timeframe and conducted in strict accordance with the national legislation of the Russian Federation and its international obligations. 

The observers underlined that the three-day voting period created all the necessary conditions for voters to freely express their will.

In the course of monitoring, the following main conclusions were reached:

Electronic voting. The remote electronic voting (REV) system, implemented in 33 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, proved very effective.

Polling stations. The observer group visited a total of 19 polling stations. For the first time, monitoring was conducted at embassies and consulates of the CSTO Member States and the Republic of Serbia, with observers reporting high voter turnout and well-organized election procedures.

Information pressure. Representatives of the Central Election Commission and political parties drew attention to unprecedented information pressure on the electoral process, which included distribution of fake news and calls to reject the election results.

Legitimacy and violations. International observers reported a high level of security and public order. The minor technical issues identified at polling stations could not have affected the citizens' final expression of will or the voting results.

The Report also states that studying Russia's experience in improving electoral legislation is relevant for other CSTO Member States.