Golos doesn’t find serious violations during Moscow mayoral election

Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 8, 2013) Human rights defenders did not find any serious violations that might influence the outcomes of the Moscow mayoral elections as of the moment polling stations closed down.

“No such violations were recorded as of the moment polling stations closed down. But another important procedure, the count of votes, is still ahead,” Golos co-leader Grigory Melkonyants told Interfax.

“There have been chaotic violations of individual nature, which did not form a pattern. Some overdid the offsite ballot job and, as a result, many people refused to cast their ballots at home. That could be a symptom of the use of administrative resources – people are forced to vote for increasing the turnout. There have been reports about shortening of voters’ lists. Not only the deceased people or those who had moved were crossed out from the lists. This technology influences the public opinion with a higher final turnout figure,” he said.

So far Golos says that the Moscow election generally complies with the law, Melkonyants said.

In his words, violations were reported in elections in the Moscow region. “There were few observers there so the information was fragmentary but we heard about carousel voting and bribery of voters. Observers were forced to leave certain polling stations,” he said.

There have been complaints from other regions, such as Yekaterinburg, Yaroslavl and the Ryazan region, Melkonyants said.

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