Written question asked by Lord Judd (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Malloch-Brown (Labour) on Wednesday, 14 November 2007.

Russia: Elections

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their assessment of the role of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe in the monitoring of the forthcoming Russian elections.

Answer: We welcome the participation of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe in International Election Observation Missions. We greatly value the independence and professionalism of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and its election observation methodology and equally value the knowledge and experience of parliamentary observers representing the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. We share the concerns of the OSCE about unprecedented Russian restrictions on international observation of their 2 December Duma elections. We believe these restrictions will hamper the work of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe in conducting an effective election-monitoring mission.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 87; 696 c25WA
Session: 2007-08
Subjects: Elections Election observers Russia Council of Europe Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk