OSCE/ODIHR opens observation mission for presidential election in the Russian Federation

MOSCOW, 5 February 2018 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened its election observation mission for the 18 March presidential election in the Russian Federation. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the Russian authorities.

The mission is led by Ambassador Jan Petersen and consists of a core team of 13 experts based in Moscow and 60 long-term observers to be deployed in teams of two across the country. The experts and observers are drawn from 25 countries. In addition, ODIHR will request 420 short-term observers to monitor proceedings on election day.

The mission will assess the presidential election for compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards and obligations for democratic elections, as well as with domestic legislation. Observers will follow the candidate registration process, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant state bodies, implementation of the legal framework and the resolution of election disputes. As part of the observation, the mission will also monitor the media coverage of the campaign.

In the course of its observation, the mission will meet with representatives of relevant authorities and of political parties, as well as with representatives of civil society, the media and the international community.

On election day, observers will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots and the tabulation of results. For election day, the mission plans to join efforts with a delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

A statement of preliminary findings and conclusions will be issued on the day after the election. A final report on the observation of the entire election process and including recommendations will be published approximately two months after the completion of the election process.

For further information, please contact Ivan Godarsky OSCE/ODIHR EOM Media Analyst, at +7 916 131 83 86 (Moscow mobile) or at ivan.godarsky@odihr.ru

or

Thomas Rymer, OSCE/ODIHR Spokesperson, at +48 609 522 266 (Warsaw mobile), +7 916 131 95 02 (Moscow mobile), or at thomas.rymer@odihr.pl.