Scorecard of the 2018 Russian Presidential Election

Criteria

Passed/Failed

1. Free organization of party congresses for candidate nomination

No attempts to disrupt or ban activities or detain participants; no provocations

Passed

2. Free assembly of initiative groups on nominating candidates

No attempts to disrupt or ban activities, detain participants, or prosecute participants after meetings or provocations

Passed

3. Free registration of initiative groups and authorized candidates

Registration of such groups and individuals without unreasonable refusals

Failed

4. Equality in the media in covering congresses and meetings of initiative groups for candidate nomination

The media – primarily state and municipal – cover congresses and meetings of initiative groups for candidate nomination based on the principles of equality, giving none of the candidates a clear advantage over others

Failed

5. Efficiency of opening electoral accounts

No artificial delay in opening electoral accounts of candidates

Passed

6. Independence and impartiality in the activities of election commissions

Election commissions act independently, professionally, and objectively; no influence is exerted by outside officials on the actions of the commissions or the decisions they make

Failed

7. No pressure exerted on supporters of candidates

Supporters of candidates are not subjected to pressure from law enforcement bodies, authorities, and local self-government, or from employers, heads of educational institutions, or other such persons; there are no obstacles in opening and running the headquarters of candidates in the regions

Failed

8. No pressure exerted on public observers

Public observers are not subjected to pressure from law enforcement bodies, authorities, and local self-government, or from employers and heads of educational institutions; no problems with "black PR" or other such practices

Passed

9. Absence of unreasonable advantages for certain candidates during nomination, signature collection, and opening of support headquarters

Failed

Criteria

Passed/Failed

1. Free signature collection

No obstacles to signature collection; no pressure exerted on collectors; no obstacles for the work of candidate headquarters by law enforcement bodies, authorities, and local self-government; no pressure from employers, heads of educational institutions, and other such persons.

2. Honest signature collection

No falsification of signatures, "false" collectors who deliberately hand over "spoiled" signatures, or spoiling of signatures handed over to the election commission

3. Free support for candidate nomination

No coercion of voters to sign for a particular candidate from law enforcement bodies and local self-government; no pressure from employers or heads of educational institutions; no instances of voter bribing

4. Political neutrality of officials

No participation of state and municipal employees and other officials in organizing the process of signature collection

5. Openness and transparency of the signature verification mechanism

No inequality in the verification of signatures in the CEC of Russia; no rejection of valid signatures

6. Justification of registration denials

No political bias in the registration of candidates or justification of refusals; no artificial delay in the registration process

7. Impartiality of the CEC of Russia

The CEC acts independently, professionally, and objectively; no influence is exerted by outside officials on its actions and decisions; political motivation is not a factor in deciding whether to register or not register candidates

8. No pressure exerted on supporters of candidates

Supporters of candidates are not subjected to pressure from law enforcement bodies, authorities, and local self-government; no pressure is exerted on them by employers, heads of educational institutions, or other such persons.

9. No pressure on public observers

Public observers are not subjected to pressure from law enforcement bodies, authorities, and local self-government, or from employers and heads of educational institutions; no problems with "black PR" or other such practices

Criteria

Passed/Failed

1. Use of only election fund resources for election campaigning

All campaign materials, events, and work of the election headquarters staff is paid from the election fund; no shadow financing of the election campaign, including from the state budgets of all federal levels; no use of offices, equipment, or vehicles of government bodies, local self-government, or budgetary institutions

2. Equality in informing voters about candidates

No indirect campaigning in print media, on television, and on the Internet (including state and municipal media) under the guise of covering official events with the participation of candidates

3. Free and voluntary participation of citizens in campaign activities

No coercion of voters to participate in campaign events; no opposition to participation of citizens in campaigning by law enforcement bodies, authorities, or local self-government; no pressure exerted on voters by employers, heads of educational institutions, or other such persons.

4. Political neutrality of officials

No participation of state and municipal employees in campaigning for candidates; no informal headquarters of candidates established in government bodies or state or municipal institutions

5. Impartiality of electoral commissions to complaints about campaigning

Complaints are reviewed promptly and objectively

6. Independence in the activities of election commissions

Election commissions act independently, professionally, and objectively; no influence is exerted by outside officials on the actions of the commissions or the decisions they make

7. Freedom of campaigning

No obstacles in the dissemination of legitimate campaign materials or conducting campaign events; no illegal destruction of campaign materials; no obstacles in conducting campaigning by law enforcement bodies and authorities

8. No pressure exerted on supporters of candidates

Supporters of candidates are not subjected to pressure from law enforcement bodies, authorities, or local self-government; no pressure is exerted on them by employers, heads of educational institutions, or other such persons.

9. No pressure exerted on voters

Voters are not subjected to pressure, such as being forced to vote at their current location by law enforcement agencies, authorities, or local self-government; no pressure exerted on voters by employers, heads of educational institutions, or other such persons.

10. No pressure exerted on public observers

Public observers are not subjected to pressure from law enforcement bodies, authorities, or local self-government, or from employers or heads of educational institutions; no problems with "black PR" or other such practices.

Criteria

Passed/Failed

1. Voluntary voting

No coercion of voters to vote: voters are not subjected to pressure from law enforcement bodies, authorities, or local self-government; no pressure is exerted on voters by employers, heads of educational institutions, or other such persons.

2. Observance of the secrecy of voting

No coercion of voters to vote for a specific candidate; no control over the will of citizens; no bribery of voters

3. Observance of the principle of equality of votes

No incidents of multiple voting, such as  "cruise" voting, "roundabouts," and other such practices..

4. Observance of the principle of universal suffrage

No restrictions of citizens in their right to vote; no prohibitions on voting imposed on citizens of Russia who reside abroad or who do not wish or are unable to vote at their place of residence; all citizens with disabilities may vote; all voters are included in the voter lists and have the right to vote

5. Observance of the principle of direct suffrage

Each citizen votes personally for himself or herself; no ballot stuffing; no incidents of voting in the name of other people

6. Independence in the activities of election commissions

Election commissions act independently, professionally, and objectively; no influence is exerted by outside officials on the actions of the commissions or the decisions they make

7. “Home-based” voting conducted in accordance with the law

Citizens personally express a desire to vote "at home"; observers are given the right to be present at such a vote

8. Voting at the current location conducted in accordance with the law

No coercion of citizens to vote at their current location; the voting procedure is transparent and supervised by public observers and election participants

9. Compliance with the ban on campaigning on the "day of silence"

No campaigning within a radius of 50 meters from precinct election commissions; the rules of the "day of silence" are observed

10. Compliance with the counting procedure

Vote counting is carried out publicly, continuously, and in stages; the data is recorded in a long form of the protocol

11. Preservation of election results

Observers and members of the commission are given correctly certified copies of protocols; protocols are not illegally rewritten

12. Availability of video broadcasts from precinct and territorial election commissions for public control

No obstacles for Russian voters to access video broadcasting from election commissions

13. Observance of the rights of observers, commission members, and media representatives

All procedures are conducted publicly and openly; observers, members of commissions, and representatives of the media can freely move around the polling station, get acquainted with voter lists, and conduct photo and video recording; no instances of unmotivated removal of authorized persons from the polling stations; no pressure exerted on authorized persons by law enforcement bodies, authorities, or local self-government; no pressure exerted by employers or managers of educational institutions; no problems with "black PR" and other such practices

14. No pressure exerted on supporters of candidates

Supporters of candidates are not subjected to pressure by law enforcement bodies, authorities, or local self-government; no pressure is exerted on them by employers, heads of educational institutions, or other such persons.