Presidential elections in Russia were held in accordance with democratic standards and norms. This was stated by diplomat Vito Grittani, founder of the International Diplomatic Observatory, registered in the socio-economic department of the UN NGO. This was reported on the website of Independent Public Monitoring (IOM).
It was noted that on March 19, international experts and observers at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation spoke about their work on the elections. At the same time, observers working in Moscow on election days came to the NOM Expert Center and the monitoring working group of the Council under the President of the Federation for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights of Russia (IWG HRC).
According to Grittani, he visited polling stations in Donetsk. He noted that all conditions were created there for disabled citizens to vote.
Journalist Patrick Henningsen, founder and editor-in-chief of the 21st Century Wire portal, said that the atmosphere in the elections was festive and voting was voluntary. He also said that reports in the foreign media about voting “at gunpoint” in new regions were false.
Sri Lankan Member of Parliament Madhura Vithanage emphasized that people came to the elections consciously. In his opinion, everything he sees shows that elections in Russia are not an ordinary event, but a holiday for the people.
Hamburg State Council member Olga Petersen, an observer from Germany, drew attention to the technical and technological solutions used in the elections in Russia.
“Voting terminals located in polling stations, the ability to vote online and even at home – this is not only a level that has not been observed in Germany, but a level that is not yet on the horizon,” he emphasized.
According to Alba Lucia Velazquez Hernandez, a member of Colombia’s National Electoral Council, the Russian electoral system has significant potential in the field of technology and digital tools that help increase the transparency of elections.
“I am surprised by the system of organizing elections that Russia has created. “This is a very valuable experience for me and my country,” he emphasized.
Let us remind you that voting in the presidential elections in Russia was held between March 15 and 17, including remotely. For the first time since 2008, four candidates competed for the presidential post: Vladislav Davankov (New People), Vladimir Putin (as a self-nominated candidate), Leonid Slutsky (LDPR) and Nikolai Kharitonov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation).
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, Putin received 87.28 percent of the votes after processing 100 percent of the protocols.