The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considers the elections for the State Duma of Russia, held between September 18-20, to be illegitimate. In a unanimously adopted resolution, the PACE states that the vote did not meet the conditions for free and fair elections and calls on the international community not to recognize the results of the vote.
According to the resolution, the new State Duma cannot be considered a democratically elected or legitimate representative body, reports IPN. The members of the APCE mention that among the observed violations are the suppression of political opposition, the exclusion of anti-war candidates, the mass condemnation of dissidents, and the absence of independent international observers.
Furthermore, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has condemned the illegal organization of elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine, in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, and in the separatist areas of Georgia.
The PACE calls on member states and observers of the Council of Europe, as well as European institutions and international partners, to avoid interaction with the State Duma of Russia and to reconsider the participation of its members in international parliamentary forums, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Exceptions will be made for channels strictly necessary for peace negotiations, prisoner exchanges, and the return of deported children.
In the same resolution, the PACE strongly condemns the campaign of hostile attacks carried out by Russia against European countries, through cyber attacks, sabotage, fires, assassination attempts, interference in elections, and attacks on critical infrastructure. The Parliamentary Assembly calls on member states to classify Russia’s acts of sabotage as state terrorism and not as hybrid activity. Also, PACE members call for coordinated actions to impose sanctions, diplomatically isolate Russian authorities, and continue supporting Ukraine.