OSCE parliamentarians to observe Russian parliamentary elections

COPENHAGEN, 13 September 2016 – Former President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Ilkka Kanerva will lead the OSCE’s short-term observer mission to the 18 September vote in the Russian Federation. Kanerva, a member of parliament from Finland, was appointed Special Co-ordinator to lead the mission by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in July.

“Since the last parliamentary elections in Russia, the electoral system has changed considerably, and I look forward to seeing how these changes are implemented and delivering a clear and accurate assessment of whether the elections meet Russia’s OSCE commitments,” said Kanerva. “Although they are taking place in an international context of generally heightened tensions between East and West, these elections should be seen first and foremost as an opportunity for the Russian people.” Following Russia’s 2011 parliamentary elections, the electoral system has transitioned from a proportional to a mixed system.

Leading the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s delegation of some 100 observers is Italian parliamentarian Marietta Tidei, who was appointed in July by OSCE PA President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria). Tidei serves as Rapporteur of the PA’s Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, and in her national parliament is active in the Commission of Foreign Affairs and Community.

Kanerva is a former Foreign Minister of Finland and has previously served as Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, being the only person to have ever served as both OSCE PA President and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. He was President of the Assembly from July 2014 to July 2016, now serving as President Emeritus and the PA’s Special Representative on Mediation.

OSCE PA observers are scheduled to deploy to several areas of the Russian Federation later this week, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yaroslavl, Krasnodar, Samara, and Khabarovsk.

The OSCE PA election observation mission works closely with observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The elections are being assessed on the basis of the Russian Federation’s election-related commitments laid out in the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has observed nine elections in Russia since 1993, most recently the presidential election in 2012. For previous OSCE PA statements on Russian elections, please click here.