HRC: only a court can remove observers from polling stations – TASS

MOSCOW, January 23. / TASS /. New amendments to the electoral law, according to preliminary data, may extend the rights of observers at the elections – remove them from the site will be possible only by court order, but the number of representatives of the party or candidate will be limited.

This information TASS Head Commission of the Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights Council (HRC) on voting rights Ilya Shablinsky.

Analysis of the practice observers

In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin after a meeting of the HRC ordered his administration together with the Russian Central Election Commission to analyze the practice of election observers and, if necessary, make appropriate proposals for improving the legislation of the Russian Federation in this field. Responsibility for the implementation have been appointed first deputy head of the Presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin, and the head of the Central Election Commission Vladimir Churov, deadline expired on January 20. CEC previously reported that transmitted their proposals in December.

According Shablinsky, members of the HRC suggested to exclude from the legislation a provision that the observer from the party or candidate, and a representative of the media can be removed from the site by the decision of the election commission.

“Now there is a project under which such removal (observer) is possible only through the courts,” – he said. Shablinsky said that members of the media, these amendments do not affect their will still be able to withdraw from the area, if the committee decides that they violate the order.

A member of the HRC generally praised this innovation, which will expand and secure the rights of observers . “I still can not imagine how to act this rule if the station commission would be interested in to remove the observer. Can they quickly go to court, and the judge immediately make a decision. This also can not be excluded”, – he added.

Amendments may limit the number of observers

Shablinsky said that the amendments could limit the number of observers at the site of one candidate or party. “There should be no more than two,” – he said. In addition, according to a member of the HRC, parties and candidates may be required for a few days to report on areas of these observers.

The agency’s interlocutor noted that adjustments can be made to the law “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights” before election campaign to the State Duma. The law “On elections of deputies of the State Duma” already contains a ban on the removal of observers without a court order.