Interfax: Kremlin calls candidates’ groundless removal from elections ‘yesterday’s instrument’

SNEGIRI, Moscow region. Oct 24 (Interfax) – Russian electoral authorities, including the Central Election Commission (CEC), have managed to minimize the number of situations where potential candidates are banned from running in elections for no discernable reason, head of the Russian president’s homeland policy directorate Oleg Morozov said.

“I would like to thank our colleagues from the CEC and you (regional election commissions) for your success in ensuring that the number of bans imposed on different candidates and different political parties seeking to take part in the electoral process was minimal during the September elections,” he said at a nationwide session of the chairpersons of regional election commissions outside Moscow on Thursday.

“By the way, thanks to your efforts, many incorrect decisions were overturned, which sent a signal, including to electoral process participants, that no one will any longer be banned from running in elections for no discernable reason, as had previously occurred,” Morozov said.

“We need to understand that this instrument of “political struggle” belongs to the past. If “we” continue using such techniques, citizens will never forgive us for it. The most important thing we need to understand is that it will not be a victory, it will not be a victory that will be accepted by citizens. They will not respect such a result,” Morozov said.

Most Russians approve of the country’s switch to a mixed electoral system, he added.