Russia offers to relax restrictions on election monitors
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MOSCOW: Russia offered Tuesday to relax restrictions on the main European election watchdog group by giving its monitors a week longer to monitor the March 2 presidential poll.
But the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer body rejected the offer and demanded authorization to enter the country earlier than the Feb. 20 date proposed by Moscow.
The OSCE had said its observers needed to be in Russia three weeks before election day to observe the campaign, and had threatened to cancel their monitoring mission.
Russia originally told the OSCE that its officials would be allowed into Russia just three days before the vote, but said Tuesday that a Feb. 20 arrival would allow time to observe the election, which President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor is expected to win easily.
"This makes for 10 days and we think that is a normal period for them to familiarize themselves with the situation, and to carry out their observations on the day of the vote and during the count," said Elena Dubrovina, a member of the Central Electoral Committee.
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Curtis Budden, spokesman for the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE election body, which wants observers to be operational by Feb. 18, said in response: "We reiterate we're willing to allow it to be the last date of the week we asked for, but not a week later."
Russia also increased the number of invited monitors to 75 from 70. An Odihr spokesman declined to comment on this proposal.
The Odihr pulled out of monitoring the Dec. 2 parliamentary election in Russia on the ground that restrictions prevented the group from doing its job properly.
Russia has accused the United States of putting pressure on the Warsaw-based organization to pull out of the Dec. 2 election and has said that Odihr is trying to sabotage monitoring plans for the presidential vote.
European legislators who monitored the December election said the vote was characterized by unfairness.
Putin is stepping aside after eight years in power and has endorsed First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev to be his successor.
Since the endorsement, Medvedev has received blanket media coverage on state television during regular administrative meetings and regional visits. He says he is too busy working to campaign properly.
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