MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. Voter turnout in the State Duma election stood at 59.32%, with more than 62.6 million citizens casting ballots, Chairwoman of Russia’s Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said at a briefing at the commission’s information center.
According to her, the elections were unprecedented in terms of the level of external threats and various challenges, but Russia managed to overcome them successfully.
TASS has compiled the key statements by the CEC chairwoman.
Turnout
Voter turnout in the State Duma election stood at 59.32%, with more than 62.6 million citizens casting ballots.
Turnout in online voting in the State Duma election stood at 90.88% with more than 3.65 million voters casting ballots: "The turnout is exceptionally high, exceeding 90%. This is a very conscious choice."
Unprecedented threats
The elections were unprecedented in terms of the level of external threats and various challenges, but Russia successfully overcame them: "These elections are unprecedented in terms of the level of external threats and the degree of various challenges that we successfully overcame, making ensuring maximum security the main priority of these elections despite the extraordinary conditions we find ourselves in."
Citizens were largely unaware of the threats that had to be overcome during the elections: "Given the various threats, it was not easy for the elections to proceed so calmly and with dignity, and our citizens felt almost no threats that we had to overcome during this campaign."
The electoral system faced an unprecedented escalation of cyber aggression during the campaign: "We faced an unprecedented escalation of cyber aggression and many other [threatening] factors."
Work of observers
More than 336,000 observers worked at polling stations during the elections, accounting for 88.3% of those registered: "This is a very large figure."
Fifteen observers in eight regions had to be removed from polling stations by court order: "Unfortunately, the number of observers decreased slightly because, much to our regret, 15 of them in eight regions had to be removed by court order."
Six observers represented the CPRF: two each in Stavropol Region and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, and one each in Amur Region and Sakhalin Region.
Five observers from the Yabloko party had to be removed in St. Petersburg and one in the Moscow Region.
Two observers from A Just Russia were removed in Zabaykalsky Region and Amur Region, and one from the LDPR was removed in Kirov Region.
The main reasons for the removals included interference in the work of election commission members and obstructing them from performing their duties, provoking conflicts, taking photos and videos outside the area designated by the precinct commission, creating obstacles for voters, moving arbitrarily around the voting premises and failing to respond to warnings from the chair and members of election commissions.
The work of political parties in preparing election observers can generally be assessed positively: "I would once again like to thank all our respected parties for preparing observers well this year. They conducted their observation very honestly, conscientiously, with great tact and respect for voters and commission members."
At the same time, parties should review the cases in which their observers were removed from polling stations: "This was all recorded through video surveillance, everyone can look at it in order to conduct their own review of what happened as they see fit."
Violations
The commission's work has been made easier by real-time online broadcasting: "We had a mass of exclusive material [about violations], but now we do not, because for the most part you can see everything in real time." She called this a major achievement that demonstrates maximum transparency.
Pamfilova reported that 17 members of precinct election commissions were removed in Mari El, Yakutia, Moscow Region, and St. Petersburg: six from Yabloko, four from A Just Russia, three from New People, and two from the CPRF, based on court decisions, primarily for deliberate ballot damage. Two ballot-stuffing cases occurred in Crimea and Mari El, and those responsible will be punished. A total of 36,850 ballots were declared invalid at 20 polling stations out of more than 90,000. No election results were rejected at polling stations.
