Newsroom
Russian election generally well administered but lacking elements of a genuine democratic contest
MOSCOW 15 March 2004
MOSCOW, 15 March 2004 - The Russian Presidential Election on 14 March was generally well administered and reflected the consistently high public approval rating of the incumbent president but lacked elements of a genuine democratic contest. In addition to a dearth of meaningful debate and genuine pluralism, the election process failed to meet an important commitment concerning treatment by the state-controlled media, in particular television on a non-discriminatory basis. Those are the conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission which deployed 340 observers from 39 countries to monitor the election.
"Though generally well managed, the nature of the election process, in which the incumbent president largely refrained from conventional campaigning, and the absence of rigorous scrutiny by the media, have meant that this election cannot be seen as a fundamental test of the Russian democratic system," said Julian Peel Yates, Head of the Election Observation Mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
Rudolf Bindig, Head of Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said: "Voting proceeded in a calm atmosphere, which is commendable. A cause of concern was the practice of open voting and the lack of reaction to it by election officials. Observers reported that the counting procedures went smoothly in a majority of polling stations observed, but it is worrying that significant problems were reported in one quarter of counts witnessed."
There were significant efforts made towards encouraging voter turnout and to enfranchising as many people as possible. However, instances of misuse of official positions and even cases of intimidation, were a regrettable aspect to an otherwise commendable effort.
"Candidates were provided with the opportunity to present their messages to voters," said Ambassador Christian Strohal, Director of the OSCE/ODIHR. "This was, however, devalued by the state-controlled media displaying clear bias in favour of the incumbent in news presentation and coverage of the campaign, and the failure of the authorities to take adequate remedial action towards this bias. This demonstrates the need to transform state controlled media into independent public media, as ODIHR and the Council of Europe have already recommended on more than one occasion."
This preliminary statement will be followed by a final report, issued approximately one month after the elections. The OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe stand ready to assist the authorities and civil society of the Russian Federation in continuing to improve its electoral process.
"Though generally well managed, the nature of the election process, in which the incumbent president largely refrained from conventional campaigning, and the absence of rigorous scrutiny by the media, have meant that this election cannot be seen as a fundamental test of the Russian democratic system," said Julian Peel Yates, Head of the Election Observation Mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
Rudolf Bindig, Head of Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said: "Voting proceeded in a calm atmosphere, which is commendable. A cause of concern was the practice of open voting and the lack of reaction to it by election officials. Observers reported that the counting procedures went smoothly in a majority of polling stations observed, but it is worrying that significant problems were reported in one quarter of counts witnessed."
There were significant efforts made towards encouraging voter turnout and to enfranchising as many people as possible. However, instances of misuse of official positions and even cases of intimidation, were a regrettable aspect to an otherwise commendable effort.
"Candidates were provided with the opportunity to present their messages to voters," said Ambassador Christian Strohal, Director of the OSCE/ODIHR. "This was, however, devalued by the state-controlled media displaying clear bias in favour of the incumbent in news presentation and coverage of the campaign, and the failure of the authorities to take adequate remedial action towards this bias. This demonstrates the need to transform state controlled media into independent public media, as ODIHR and the Council of Europe have already recommended on more than one occasion."
This preliminary statement will be followed by a final report, issued approximately one month after the elections. The OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe stand ready to assist the authorities and civil society of the Russian Federation in continuing to improve its electoral process.