Representatives of public organizations and movements intend to cover all stages of the Federal election campaign to the lower house of Parliament and the nomination and registration of candidates and campaigning, and the process of voting.
MOSCOW, 19 Feb –. Several thousand Russian human rights defenders, activists and independent observers in the regions of the country intend to participate in monitoring the upcoming parliamentary election campaign, using a variety of tools – from media monitoring and the establishment of hotlines, prior to the opening of the legal adoptive and work of mobile groups.
Representatives of public organizations and movements want to start active monitoring Federal campaign after the elections and to cover all its stages – and the nomination and registration of candidates and campaigning, and the process of voting.
The Central election Commission of the Russian Federation explained that observers on Federal elections can be called only those who are appointed by a party or candidate. “From the point of view of the law on elections of deputies we have provided for the appointment of observers by the political parties that registered lists, registered candidates,” — said CEC member Maya Grishina of Russia.
If we talk about regional elections, the legislators of the subjects was and is able to provide in its law and the presence of observers from public organizations, she said. Media representative – this is a different status and other functions, although sometimes these two concepts are mixed, from the point of view of the law is wrong, said the CEC member.
From start to voting
Association for protection of electoral rights “Civil control” will monitor the entire campaign, since its launch, not only to monitor violations on the voting day. The Association co-Chairman Alexander Brod noted that in each region they have an affiliate non-governmental organizations, to prepare observers.
“The task is not to put observers on every polling station, most likely it will be mobile groups of lawyers, human rights defenders, to visit polling stations and to respond to troubled calls,” — said the Agency interlocutor. He noted that the elections will be opened “hot line” will act site and a special legal reception.
“We want to cover all the subjects of the Russian Federation through our partner organizations. On average in the regions will work from 30 to 200 of our representatives will be public men,” said Ford.
Chairman of the Board of the Russian public Institute of electoral law (ROIIP) Igor Borisov said that the organization will focus on the study of the campaign from the point of view of how the election results answer to the free will of citizens. This monitoring, said the head ROIIP must be complex since the formation of the commissions, adoption of relevant legislation, and thereafter to all stages of the campaign.
For “Voice” — the sixth Federal campaign
The movement in defense of voters ‘ rights “Golos” and the Case “For clean elections” also plan to work on the upcoming Duma elections.
“It’s already in the history “Voices” would be the sixth Federal election campaign. This time the emphasis we plan to do in the first place on a long-term observation,” said co-Chairman of movement “the Voice” Grigory Melkonyants, adding that this program is on long-term monitoring will cover all stages of the campaign and be accompanied by the publication of relevant reports.
The movement will monitor the media to identify the use of administrative resource, to measure the level of competition and equal access of candidates to media, said the Agency interlocutor. You will work in the traditional “Voice” map of violations at elections and parallel vote tabulation — SMS-CEC, said Melkonyants.
In addition, he noted that the movement plans to launch a new project, a kind of “national long-term observation”: for those who want to participate in the monitoring campaign, will be given certain tasks, for example, to photograph the campaign materials so that the experts could analyze and identify illegal propaganda or black PR.
“Directly in day of voting will work, at least in 40 regions”, — said Melkonyan, noting that the number of those who will watch, will be determined later.
Case of 10 thousand people
In turn, the head of the Executive Committee of the Corps “For clean elections” Yaroslav Avilov noted that the experience of observation of elections in the state Duma the organization was not yet, the body is worked on the last presidential election. He noted that preparations for the state Duma elections in the organization has already begun in some regions there are Centers of electoral law and process.
“On the basis of these centers they have in each Federal district there are – we will concentrate the training of observers. The number (observer – ed.) while specific numbers are not put for itself as a purpose. The maximum in recent years, which we had – with the exception of presidential elections where some 10-11 thousand people”, — said the head of the Body.
He said that is approximately the number of observers from the main body worked in a single day of voting in the years 2013-15, it is likely that this figure will be at the elections to the State Duma. Perhaps the organization will concentrate more people, somewhere less — depending on how you would run a campaign that will cause a risk of violations, said Avilov.
Monitoring the HRC
Presidential Council on human rights (HRC) intends in the coming elections to continue the work of the special monitoring group, which was established on the eve of the single voting day-2015.
The head of the Commission the HRC on electoral rights Ilya shablinsky said that such groups do not exist by law and are based on informal relationships.
“I hope that if the last election was just three regions, then these we get, maybe, a resolution to monitor a few dozen regions. In each region the group would be headed by a member of the Council for human rights, so I need to be with each of them to agree” — said the Agency interlocutor. He recalled that during the special Commission consists of 11 members, but we cannot say whether all will agree to go and work in the monitoring group.
Shablinsky considers necessary to include in the compositions of these groups and representatives from observer organizations, which, he said, performed well in recent years, identifying real violations in the elections, is “Sonar”, “Golos”, “Citizen observer”.
