Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend A.Gasimova /It is difficult to believe that the parliamentary elections in Russia meet international standards, Paul Kubicek, Professor of the US Oakland University, said.
The elections of the State Duma (Parliament) were held in Russia on 2 December. Official data on the results of the elections will be publicized on 7-8 December, Vladimir Churov, the head of the CEC, reported.
According to the CEC, as a result of the calculations, almost 98% of voters participated in the votes. Unified Russia gained 64.1% of votes, the Communist Party 11.6%, the Liberal democratic Party 8.2%, Fair Russia 7.8%. Only 4 four parties enter the State Duma, because they overcame the 17%-barrier.
Elections in Russia are actually a referendum over the present President of the country, Vladimir Putin, and the Kremlin has utilized every means to achieve victory at the elections, including the restriction of media access, threats, administrative sources, and the arrest of opposition representatives, Kubicek said in a telephone interview from Washington.
"I do not deny that Putin is a very popular figure in Russia, but the question is the extent of the legitimacy of the methods Putin and his supporters have used," Professor said.
The expert particularly stressed the massacre and arrest of opposition representatives a week before the elections. "As to the obstacles that the Russian Government posed for observers from the OSCE, this is another matter," he said.
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) reported that on 16 November the Russian authorities would not send observers for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Russia on 2 December. This decision was supported by the United States which stated that the Russian authorities put 'very regrettable' obstacles in the way of international observers.
The ODIHR was founded as part of the OSCE in 1990. The organization is involved in assisting the holding of elections and their monitoring, supporting democratic institutes, non-governmental organizations and human rights.