State Duma elections: observers report obstruction of their work and turnout anomalies
Kyiv • UNN
In Russia, observers report being denied access to polling stations and detentions. An analyst stated that turnout may have been artificially inflated.
The second day of the three-day voting period in the State Duma elections is underway in Russia, taking place from September 18 to 20. Against the backdrop of the voting, reports have emerged of observers being denied access to polling stations and obstructed in their work, while electoral analyst Ivan Shukshin reported anomalies in turnout data, UNN writes.
Details
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, as of 14:00 Moscow time, turnout stood at 32.58%
In Sakhalin, representatives of the CPRF reported problems during mobile voting. According to the party’s regional branch, observers and commission members were denied the opportunity to accompany voting at people’s homes.
Observers report violations
There have also been reports of observers from the Yabloko party being denied access to polling stations. In particular, such a case was reported at polling station No. 3104 in Perm, where a CPRF representative was also denied access.
In St. Petersburg, a Yabloko observer was detained during a conflict at a polling station. According to reports by independent media, the man lost consciousness, and a protocol was later drawn up against him for disobeying police orders.
Electoral analyst Ivan Shukshin also reported signs of possible artificial inflation of turnout, citing anomalous figures from individual territorial election commissions. There is currently no independent confirmation of the scale of the alleged fraud.
This year’s elections will determine the composition of the State Duma of the ninth convocation. Voting will end on September 20.