CSTO PA observers met with Russian political parties taking part in the elections

On September 16 and 17, international observers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly monitoring the elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation held a series of meetings with the leadership of political parties participating in the election campaign.
On September 16, meetings were held with the leadership of the Political Party of Pensioners and the New People party. On September 17, CSTO PA international observers from the met with Sergei Mironov, Chairman of the Socialist party A Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth; Leonid Slutsky, a member of the LDPR – Liberal Democratic Party of Russia; Sergei Neverov, a member of the Presidium of the United Russia General Council, member of the United Russia Supreme Council Bureau; Andrei Klimov, deputy Secretary of United Russia Political Party General Council and a member of the Committee on International Affairs of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; and Gennady Zyuganov, Chairman of the Central Committee of the CPRF party. Speaking to CSTO PA international observers, Sergei Mironov positively assessed the organization of e-voting. “I note the unity of the parties on international issues,” said Sergei Mironov, citing as an example the Statement of the State Duma of the 7th convocation on non-interference in elections, adopted also by the presidents of the parliaments of the CSTO Member States at the Council of the Parliamentary Assembly. Leonid Slutsky, who represented the Liberal Democratic Party at the meeting with observers, noted the dirty technologies of interference in the Russian elections and, in his turn, mentioned the positive case of Google and Apple removing the resources spreading fake news about Russia. Leonid Slutsky underscored the increased role of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.
At the meeting of the CSTO PA observers with representatives of the United Russia, Sergei Neverov, a member of the Presidium of the party’s General Council, member of the Bureau of the party’s Supreme Council and head of the United Russia faction in the State Duma of the 7th convocation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, noted: “It is very important that parliamentarians responsible for security are tasked to observe the elections in Russia. We need to synchronise legislative work on security, including in the area of electoral legislation,” said Mr Neverov. He especially stressed the unacceptability of empty pre-election promises: “It is important to avoid populism in the process of election campaigning; people must not be deceived with unrealistic promises.”
Responding to a question whether there was any pressure from abroad during the election campaign, Anatoly Vyborny, Chairman of the CSTO PA Standing Committee on Defence and Security and – in the State Duma of the 7th convocation – deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Corruption Control, who was present at the meeting, noted: “Even before the elections are over, there are already calls from abroad to reject them...”
Arman Kozhakhmetov, coordinator of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly observer group, noted, “We meet with political party leaders in order to hear first-hand what their goals are and how they assess the situation in the country.”