OSCE double standards. Russia refused to play by someone else's rules
Yesterday at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) stated that their observers will not come to the September elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
The formal reason is that the ODIHR was not satisfied with the number of observers, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
At the same time, Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy expresses bewilderment at this approach.
“In the USA and Kazakhstan they had 20 observers each, in the Netherlands there were five, and they wanted to send 500 people to Russia. Of course, we are always happy to welcome everyone, but such desires do not indicate the objectivity and impartiality of the mission, but rather the opposite. Apparently, the instructions received are stronger than common sense,” Tolstoy wrote in his Telegram channel.
He draws attention to the fact that this is not the first time that OSCE structures have refused to observe elections in Russia due to disagreement with the size of the observation mission proposed by the Russian side. For example, such a situation already occurred in 2007.
“Both then and now, OSCE officials referred not to bilateral agreements at the interstate level, but to internal bureaucratic documents that Russia did not sign or agree on. In addition, the ODIHR insisted that international monitoring be carried out primarily by their representatives. And this is impossible.
Russia has always advocated equality of observation missions. International monitoring is based on respect for the accreditation rules in force in the country. The ODIHR tried to blackmail Russia, escalated the negotiation process, intended to become the main (almost the only) international body for monitoring elections in Russia, and tried to push everyone aside. Russia did not succumb to pressure,” the politician recalled.
“We have long ceased to need nods of approval from the West regarding the development of our political system. It is already clear to everyone that Russia does not live and will not live according to foreign patterns and rules. We have our own elections, our own laws and our own path. And they must be respected, and not try to again impose the cargo cult of Western values on us in the form of an ultimatum. We do not recognize and will never recognize the division into “fulfilled” and “failed” democracies. Come and learn, adopt our experience,” Tolstoy emphasized.
He also added that hundreds of observers, including parliamentarians of the Council of Europe, are preparing to come to Moscow.
In turn, Kommersant quotes the words of a source familiar with the progress of negotiations between the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the ODIHR. He said that due to the epidemiological situation and in connection with the recommendations of Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian authorities have set the bar for the number of observers from all structures at 180 people: this includes PACE, the CIS, the CSTO PA, and through bilateral lines.
“The ODIHR had the largest share in this group—50 observers,” says the publication’s interlocutor.
He clarified that the bureau refused to compromise and insisted that it independently determines the number of missions. At the same time, the Russian side expressed its readiness to compromise.
“We asked that all observers be vaccinated with coronavirus vaccines recognized in Russia. The bureau did not agree to this,” explains the source.
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