Belarus’ CEC: Election campaign in Russia compliant with democratic standards

"Representatives of Belarus participated in the monitoring of the Russian president election in the capacity of international observers. MPs, representatives of the Central Election Commission of Belarus, diplomats worked in 14 regions of Russia. All the conditions were ensured for us to carry out our activities and I address special words of gratitude to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation," Igor Karpenko said. “Personally, I visited 15 polling stations in Moscow and Moscow Oblast. International observers talked to members of precinct election commissions, national observers, and voters. I would like to note the high level of training of the members of the commissions, and the information work carried out to inform voters about the dates, times, places and forms of voting in the election. Comfortable conditions were created at polling stations and their security was ensured."

According to him, all this contributed to the high voter turnout. "I was also pleased to see Russian voters in high spirits. They eagerly talked with us and were open. By the way, many voters emphasized the convenience of three-day voting as they had more opportunities to participate in the election, taking into account their personal plans for the weekend. All this allowed us to conclude that the electoral process was organized in accordance with the electoral legislation of Russia, was free and transparent," the head of the Belarusian CEC said.

"We took note of the attempts to interfere in the electoral process. I am referring to hacker attacks on the website of the Central Election Commission of Russia, the Gususlugi public services website that hosted remote electronic voting and also individual incidents to spoil ballots and disrupt the voting process. It should be noted that the officials of the election commissions and law enforcement promptly responded to these incidents," Igor Karpenko emphasized. “For me, as a professional, it is obvious that the issue of ensuring electoral sovereignty in the CIS countries is more relevant than ever. Every country, including Russia, has its own positive experience of working in this direction, which we discussed during an international conference held during the presidential election in Moscow. I think it would be right to continue the dialogue within the framework of the CIS Advisory Board of Heads of Electoral Bodies, the World Association of Electoral Authorities and bilateral cooperation."  
"Thus, observers from the Republic of Belarus state that the Russian president election was fair, competitive and compliant with democratic standards. All conditions were created in the country for the free and secret expression of the will of citizens. We congratulate the people of the Russian Federation and wish them peace, prosperity and progressive development of te country in the interests of its citizens," Igor Karpenko said.