Belarusian “deputies” hastened to admit Russian election

Presidential election in Russia met the international standards. It was said on a press conference in Moscow by Mikalai Charhinets, head of the Standing Commission for on International Affairs and National Security of the “council of the republic” of the “national assembly.”

He heads a group of observers in the CIS mission representing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Russia-Belarus “union.”

Mikalai Charhinets stressed that experienced observers from Belarus watched the presidential election in Russia. The observers had monitored the elections in the CIS countries, as well as the USA, the UK, Poland, Serbia and other states. During the present elections they visited polling stations in Moscow, Kazan, Krasnodar, in Kaluga and Moscow regions.

Mikalai Charhinets confirmed general conclusions of the CIS observers that the Russian presidential elections were held in strict compliance to the Constitution and Russian laws.

“The pre-election situation was far calmer than the one before the parliamentary polls,” he said. “At the same time election campaign was organised to the full by all candidates.”

Mikalai Charhinets marked the “calm and businesslike” situation in Russian before the election. “I like the fact that the Central Election Commission of Russia opened pooling stations at airports, railway stations and border-crossing points,” he added.

Mikalay Charhinets expressed his disappointment with the fact that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly had refused to send their observers to the Russian presidential election. In his view it is an evidence of continuing of the double standard policy. “In return we should think about mutual relations with the OSCE, which has such a selective approach to elections,” Mikalai Charhinets emphasised.

In conclusion he congratulated Dmitry Medvedev on victory in the presidential election in Russia.