HRC recommended to cooperate with election observers-activists

On June 24, the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC) adopted the recommendation as a result of the special meeting ‘Citizen engagement in election observation process’. The meeting was held on 16 May; the representatives of non-governmental organizations engaged in the election (and referendum) observation, as well as election law experts attended this meeting.

HRC noted the important role of civil society in election (as well as referendum) observation. ‘The citizen control imposed within the limits of legal framework contributes to the legitimacy of election, increasing its credibility among citizens and raising the quality of election commissions’ work’, - stated in the document.

The Council emphasized that the installed CCTV cameras during the 2012 Presidential Election in Russia facilitated greater transparency of the electoral process and the credibility of elections.

HRC believes that the recent amendments to election law might contribute to the resolution of some existing problems, but when applied in practice it might inflict some undesirable results.

The Council recommended:

• To re-introduce video surveillance with online broadcast at the greatest possible number of polling stations and territorial election commissions;
• To pass or amend numerous regulations, instructions, recommendations on the procedure for verification of voters’ signatures; specify the rules to safeguard the rights of all actors taking part in the electoral process, as well as the procedure for collaboration between election commissions and law enforcement agencies during the voting and vote count, the procedure for accreditation of media representatives present at the election commissions facilities, the rules on expulsion of election observers, regulations on investigation and pursuit of fraud claims;
• Members of commissions must include activists engaged in election observation;
• To contact and collborate with non-governmental associations engaged in election observation;
• To increase the number of mobile monitoring groups of HRC.

Moreover, the Council recommended to the Ministry of Justice to review the decision to reject the withdrawal of the NGO Association ‘GOLOS’ advocating for voters’ rights’ and the INGF ‘GOLOS-Ural’ from the register of non-profit organizations acting as foreign agents.

The Council addressed the Russian Commissioner for Human Rights T. N. Moskalkova with a request for judicial review of court rulings that had entered into force imposing fines of hundreds of thousands rubles on the Association ‘GOLOS’, INGF ‘GOLOS-Ural’, INGF ‘Golos- Volga’ and L. G. Kuzmin.

The Board member of movement ‘Golos’ and the former deputy executive director of the Association ‘GOLOS’ Grigory Melkonyants expresses his gratitude to the HRC members for their principled stand and support for observers.

Video of the HRC special meeting ‘Citizen engagement in election observation’