NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that any attempts to organize Russian elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine would be absolutely illegal. He said this during a press conference on Thursday in Brussels, UNN reports.
Details
"Free and fair elections are the foundation of any democracy. And the elections in Russia will not be free and fair. Because we already know that opposition politicians are in jail, some have been killed, many are in exile. And, in fact, some of those who tried to register as candidates were deprived of this right. So, in fact, before the elections, we can say that they will not be free and fair," Stoltenberg said.
The NATO Secretary General noted that Russia does not have a free and independent press, and that the media is suppressed or expelled.
President Putin has been in power in Russia for decades. No one expects this week's elections in Russia to bring any changes to the Kremlin. And of course, Russia's attempts to organize any part of the elections in the occupied regions of Ukraine are completely illegal and violate international law
He noted that during the last elections in 2018, the OSCE observed the elections and "clearly stated that restrictions on fundamental freedoms and candidate registration led to a lack of genuine competition in the Russian elections." "And there is no reason to believe that the situation has improved since 2018. On the contrary, it is now even less open and free than in 2018," the Secretary General said.
"So, the right to participate in fair and free elections is a fundamental part of any democratic society. But Russian citizens cannot count on freedom and justice because opposition politicians are dead, in prison or exiled, and the press is not free," Stoltenberg concluded.
Recall
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that the "elections" of the President of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are illegal and will not have any legal consequences, and called on citizens not to participate in them, and on the international community to refrain from recognizing their results.