Public observers in Russia barred from making assessments and comments that could "undermine trust in the electoral system"

Public observers in Russia have been barred from making assessments and comments that could “undermine trust in the electoral system”

The updated Observer Ethics Code was presented at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. It used to contain only eight points; now it has several sections that include not only duties but also sanctions for violating them, Kommersant writes.

Now an observer may assess how the election was conducted only after the official announcement of the voting results.

An observer is also required to “refrain from public statements, assessments, and comments that may be regarded as undermining trust in the electoral system” and to avoid conflicts of interest, as well as to refrain from any statements or actions that may be interpreted as inciting hatred or slandering participants in the process.

Among the new provisions of the code is a ban on using or spreading unverified or knowingly false information.

In the event of a gross violation of the code’s provisions, an observer may be recalled early by the Civic Chamber.

🔵Earlier, banners were spotted in the Moscow metro criticizing elections in Europe and the United States. In particular, the posters claimed that in the U.S. there are no observers in 42 out of 50 states. This information is not true.

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