Head of Organization of Islamic Cooperation election monitoring group says Russia created opportunities to vote for all categories of citizens

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia created opportunities to vote for all categories of citizens, the Director General of Political Affairs at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said Saturday.

Mohamed Salah Tekaya, who chairs the group of OIC observers for the 2024 Russian presidential election, said election observation is one of the group’s main activities.

It is the basis for "the rule of law and transparency in the conduct of elections," he said at a news conference in Moscow.

"Thank you for inviting us to observe this election. We realize that the election of the President of Russia is a very important event in the life of the country, especially in the life of its people," he said.

Tekaya said the OIC delegation visited a lot of polling stations in Moscow and observed the process of the election.

"We are pleased to note that there is enough opportunity for the people to vote. In particular, I mean electronic voting, voting using paper forms, as well as voting when a special group from the polling station goes to the home of those who cannot personally visit the polling station. This applies to people who cannot attend the station due to health reasons," he said.

Shakir Mahmoud Bandar, the head of the election monitoring group within the OIC, said it was the second time that the organization is monitoring the Russian presidential election.

"We have monitored elections in 37 of the 57 states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as the organization pays increased attention to the election process," he said, adding that recently, the OIC has been receiving invitations to observe various elections, presidential and parliamentary, from states that are not members.

"We approach this process very responsibly, based on the principles of impartiality and transparency. The process of the OIC election observation does not differ from the general world practice. The main principle is not interference in the affairs of the state and respect for the constitution," he noted.

Bandar said the OIC supports good relations with the UN, Arab League of Arab States, EU and the African Union.

"It is quite a joyful event for us, and it is a great honor that we are participating in the monitoring of the elections of the Russian Federation for the second time. We wish prosperity to the friendly Russian people, we are open for cooperation, for communication," he said.

Meanwhile, the co-chair of President Vladimir Putin's campaign headquarters, Artyom Zhoga, thanked the OIC representatives for accepting Russia's invitation to monitor the election and noted that foreign observers highly assess its organization and legitimacy.

"Communication with foreign observers shows that many countries are interested in how the elections are held in Russia,” he said. “When Western countries decided not to send observers to Russia, they made a big mistake. They have a lot to learn from our election commissions and the organization of our elections.”