Russia has decided not to invite international observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor its upcoming State Duma parliamentary elections.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said the lack of an invitation was not in line with commitments made by all OSCE participating states under the 1990 Copenhagen Document, which sets out standards for democratic elections and includes a pledge to invite observers.
“The decision not to extend an invitation to observe the upcoming State Duma Elections is deeply regrettable,” ODIHR Director Maria Telalian said, adding that the absence of OSCE observation would leave voters and the wider international community without “an objective assessment of the electoral process.”
ODIHR said it had tried in recent weeks to engage Russian authorities through its usual pre-election contacts, including discussions about sending a “Needs Assessment Mission” — a preliminary team that assesses what kind of election observation, if any, is needed — but received no substantive response.
Russia also did not invite OSCE observers to its 2024 presidential election, while restrictive conditions in 2021 prevented the OSCE from deploying an observation mission for State Duma elections.
As a result, the forthcoming vote will be the third consecutive nationwide electoral process in Russia that the OSCE has been unable to observe.
Concerns over wider political restrictions
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons said Russia’s refusal to invite an election observation mission was “a serious breach” of its OSCE commitments.
ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said the lack of international observation came amid broader concerns about political participation and civil rights in Russia since the last parliamentary elections.
They cited legislative changes and their implementation that they said restrict political participation, including rules preventing individuals designated as “foreign agents” from standing for election, limiting campaign financing, and restricting the ability of candidates and political parties to appoint polling station representatives.
ODIHR also said independent citizen election monitoring had been curtailed after pressure on the election watchdog Golos, which it said led to the group’s dissolution, while further legislative amendments reduced opportunities to scrutinise election-day procedures.
ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly reiterated their condemnation of Russia organising voting in “temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine”, saying any such elections would have no validity under international law and would violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
