Saturday, July 2, 2022
Sign-In
|
Sign-Up
|
Contact Us
|
Bookmark
Home
News
Articles
Forum
Search
Directory
Blog
Accounts
Business
|
Politics
|
Technology
|
Entertainment
|
Sport
|
Other
|
All Published News
|
Russian human rights official criticized Thursday a new election law which significantly limits public control over the election process
A top Russian human rights official criticized Thursday a new election law which significantly limits public control over the election process. Russia recently abolished the 20% threshold for voter turnout, and canceled early voting and the "against all candidates" option on election ballots at all levels. The Kremlin claims these changes are needed to safeguard the development of Russian democracy from irresponsible marginal parties. "This law has in practice limited public control over elections to a bare minimum," said Ella Pamfilova, chairman of the Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights Council under the Russian president. During a Thursday Council meeting attended by President Vladimir Putin, she stressed the importance of civil society in the election process and monitoring of elections, adding that her Council would safeguard political rights of the electorate during the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. Parliamentary elections in Russia are set for December 2007, to be followed by presidential polls in March 2008. Pamfilova also said human rights activists were concerned over restrictions on rallies and marches in the country which could only radicalize and marginalize certain groups, instead of letting them openly express their political views. "We are concerned about the trend toward restricting rallies and marches," she said. "It is easier for regional authorities to ban a public rally than to ensure its security." Last year, protestors against the G8 summit applied for permission to hold a number of rallies and marches in St. Petersburg while the summit took place in July 2006, but all were turned down except for a Communist Party-sponsored rally. Pamfilova said at the time she had received written reports of detentions and harassment from 12 would-be participants, and had asked the prosecutor general to launch a probe into protester detentions. On November 4, 2006, authorities in Moscow, St. Petersburg and some other Russian cities banned the so-called Russian March planned by far ultra-nationalist groups to commemorate National Unity Day, citing public security concerns.
Related News
One militant was killed in a firefight with federal troops in southeast Chechnya
Three Ukrainian pilots detained in Norway for attempting to fly a plane while drunk have been placed in custody for four weeks pending trial
Georgia's Western-leaning president proposed Wednesday drafting a new Constitution that would conform to European democratic standards
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko have discussed the problem of Russian oil transit via Belarus on the phone
Belarus has canceled the transit tax it imposed on Russian export oil days ago
The owner and employees of a diving center in Egypt which organized an underwater excursion for Russian and Dutch tourists are not to blame for their disappearance
Members of Russia's lower house of parliament passed an appeal Wednesday to their new colleagues in the U.S. Congress
Russian oil transit through Belarus to Europe has yet to be resumed
Russia's new political year opens as senior members of the lower chamber of parliament
The disruption of Russian crude supplies to Europe through Belarus do not jeopardize the EU nation's energy security
Explosive device was spotted last night in the Gamurzievsky district of Nazran
The Novosibirsk prosecutor’s office has sent to court a criminal case against Russian ex-press minister Boris Mironov
Belarusian Vice Premier Andrei Kobyakov has arrived in Moscow
The Moscow City Court will announce a verdict in a case involving two bomb explosions on the Moscow metro in 2004 on February 2
Russia's economy will lose some $3.3 billion over natural gas agreements with Belarus
Russia's president ordered the government Tuesday to protect the interests of Western energy consumers amid an ongoing standoff with Belarus over oil transit to Europe
Iran will continue developing its nuclear program
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will arrive in Russia on an official visit January 21
Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov has resigned
Total of six participants in illegal paramilitary units have given themselves up in Chechnya over the past 24 hours
Dec
January 2007
Feb
Mo
Tu
We
Th
Fr
Sa
Su
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4