PACE urged not to recognize new Russian State Duma as democratically elected and legitimate parliament

PACE urged not to recognize the new Russian State Duma as democratically elected and legitimate parliament

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) called not to recognize the new State Duma of Russia as a democratically elected parliament and a legitimate authority in light of violations during the conduct of the elections 18–20 September.

This is stated in a PACE statement.

The Assembly said there was a crackdown on the political opposition in Russia, restrictions on access to independent information, a lack of conditions for genuine political competition, as well as intimidation of voters during the State Duma vote. PACE specifically pointed to the exclusion of the Yabloko party, which runs an anti-war platform, from the elections and the absence of international observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

"The Assembly condemns fake observers sent to Russia to manipulate the elections. PACE is particularly concerned about the participation of citizens of Council of Europe member states and the presence of pseudo-observers in the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine," the statement says.

PACE condemned Russia’s unlawful holding of so‑called elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. It noted that such "voting" is illegitimate and has no legal force, and those responsible for its organization should be held accountable.

The Assembly also condemned the organization of elections in Moldova’s Transnistrian region and in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region / South Ossetia.

PACE said the new composition of the State Duma cannot be considered independent from the Russian executive branch. The Assembly recalled that the State Duma supported Russian aggression against Ukraine, and the elections cannot restore the parliament’s democratic legitimacy.

The Assembly called for restricting contacts with the new Duma and for imposing sanctions on the election organizers. It also proposed limiting the movement of accredited Russian diplomats and officials within the Schengen area, introducing a permanent ban and restricting the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens.

As reported by Yevheniia Kravchuk, a member of Ukraine’s permanent delegation to PACE (Servant of the People faction), the resolution was supported by 59 deputies, with none opposed.