§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the fairness of the recent elections in Russia. [143934]
§ Mr. RammellInternational observers assessed the conduct of voting as positive in an overwhelming majority of polling stations and election day proceeded in a generally calm and peaceful manner.
However, we take very seriously the OSCE"s preliminary conclusions that, while the Duma elections were well organised, the pre-election process failed to meet many international standards.
We look forward to seeing the OSCE"s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights report and hope that the Russian Federation will follow-up any recommendations before this year's presidential elections.