OSCE not sending election monitors to Russia

Kanerva pleased with Finnish efforts to reach agreement

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The Organisation on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will not send election monitors to Russia to observe the Presidential elections in that country.
     Both the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in statements issued on Thursday that they cannot agree to restrictions imposed by Russia. Consequently, they will not send any monitors to Russia.
     
Under the allocation of tasks within the OSCE, ODIHR engages in long-term monitoring of the election process, while the Parliamentarians arrive to observe elections primarily on the polling day.
     Finland currently holds the chairmanship of the OSCE, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ilkka Kanerva (Nat. Coalition Party) said on Thursday that the decision concerning the Russian elections is irrevocable. He emphasised that he was disappointed with the outcome.
     
The decision was preceded by a dispute with Russia over how long the monitors would be allowed to operate in the country. Russia also wanted to dictate how many monitors would be allowed into the country.
     Kanerva feels that "a large question fell over a small detail" - that is, whether or not the monitors would be allowed into Russia on February 15th, or the 20th.
     Kanerva confirmed that ODIHR made the final decision.
     According to Kanerva, the number of monitors was not the decisive issue, even though Russia has felt that the number proposed by the OSCE was too high.
     Kanerva also noted that as holder of the Chairmanship of the OSCE, Finland has managed to create the preconditions for an agreement on the matter, and that during the Duma elections last year it did not even try.
     Last year ODIHR did not monitor the Duma elections in December, but at that time, the OSCE Parliamentarians did accept the invitation.
     Russia's Foreign Ministry said that the OSCE decision was "impossible to accept".
     
The Council of Europe has not yet made a decision on sending election monitors to the Russian elections, says MP Kimmo Sasi (Nat. Coalition Party), a member of the Finnish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
     Sasi said that the Council of Europe must carefully consider whether or not it should send monitors to Russia, now that the OSCE has decided not to.
     "If the ODIHR monitors cannot arrive on the scene early enough, then it is not expedient to monitor the elections at all", he said.
     However, Sasi did take part in the monitoring effort in the Duma elections as a member of the Council of Europe even though ODIHR was not present.
     Sasi said that "Various political pressures" led to OSCE Parliamentarians to monitor the Duma elections, even though ODIHR stayed away.
     "To some extent, it was a political decision, in which the OSCE Parliamentarians wanted to show some accommodation toward Russia, and to emphasise the status of parliamentarians", Sasi said.
     The monitors of the Council of Europe followed the example of the OSCE parliamentarians.
     
"That's one possible interpretation of the situation", said Finnish MP Kimmo Kiljunen (SDP), an experienced OSCE election monitor, commenting on Sasi's perception of political pressure.
     According to Kiljunen, it is an open secret that there are certain tensions between the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and ODIHR.
     However, he emphasised that the OSCE Parliamentarians did not take part in the monitoring of the Duma elections simply to annoy ODIHR.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kanerva hopes for agreement with Russia on OSCE election monitoring (31.1.2008)
  Finland avoids big disputes at launch of OSCE Chairmanship (10.1.2008)
  NEWS ANALYSIS: Kosovo and Russian elections overshadow Finnish chairmanship of OSCE (29.12.2007)

Links:
  OSCE Press Release: Chairman expresses disappointment over non-observation of Russian presidential election by OSCE
  Ministry for Foreign Affairs Press Release 7.2.2008: Foreign Minister Kanerva expressed disappointment on non-observation of the Russian presidential elections by the OSCE

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