Russia says it did not invite OSCE to monitor presidential election because it discredited itself

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it did not invite the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the country’s forthcoming presidential election because it has completely discredited itself.

The ministry said in a statement that it analyzed the work of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which is responsible for monitoring elections, for more than 30 years, starting from the 1990s.

"Everything testifies to the bias and inconsistency of the ODIHR’s methodology, a politicized approach to assessing the electoral situation. There is a geographical division of states into 'immature' and 'mature' democracies, but in fact – into more or less loyal to the collective West," the ministry emphasized.

According to its assessment, the ODIHR "carries out a political order, violating the principles of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism," and ignores "obvious flaws and irregularities in the electoral systems of Western countries."

The ODHIR is used to communicating with OSCE participating states "in the language of ultimatums," presenting it as the implementation of a certain "gold standard,” but in reality, it is "a methodology of dictatorship and blackmail," it argued.

"This will not work with Russia. At the moment, the ODIHR, including its director, is discredited. In this state of affairs, the OSCE ODIHR mission -- unlike organizations with an unblemished reputation, adhering to the principles of objectivity and impartiality -- has nothing to do in the upcoming presidential elections of the Russian Federation," the ministry stressed.

It pointed out that the ODIHR "has neither the pre-emptive right to monitor" nor the authority to "certify" elections and issue "verdicts" on them and is just one of the international bodies created for electoral monitoring.

"There are other reputable international structures ready to take part in monitoring the elections in Russia," it said.

Russia will hold its presidential election in March.