Yabloko observer loses consciousness in St Petersburg — PBS NewsHour
In St Petersburg, Russia, an observer from the liberal opposition Yabloko party lost consciousness while being detained by police. As PBS NewsHour reports, citing the Associated Press, this happened at a polling station on Saturday, the second day of three-day voting in the Russian State Duma elections.
Yabloko said that polling station staff accused the observer of trying to “disrupt the elections” and called the police. According to the party, law enforcement officers used force against him. After losing consciousness, the observer was taken to a police station, where he was accused of disobeying police orders. It is unknown whether he received timely medical assistance. Russian officials did not immediately comment on the incident.
Parties complain of violations
Yabloko and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation said that many of their observers were not allowed into polling stations. The parties also reported alleged violations, including the opening of sealed ballot boxes, refusal to issue paper ballots, failure to provide turnout data for verification, and polling station doors being left unlocked overnight.
Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov appealed to Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova on Friday. He complained about numerous, according to the party, refusals to allow its observers into polling stations and pressure on them. Rybakov said that the scale of the events gives no reason to consider them a misunderstanding.
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Elections without an OSCE mission
Russia, an aggressor state, did not invite observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to monitor the elections. The Russian Foreign Ministry explained this by the OSCE’s alleged “double standards” due to its criticism of Russia. OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons called the decision a violation of Russia’s commitments as a member state of the organization.
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, more than 380,000 observers were registered before the vote, including 97,040 affiliated with the United Russia party. The commission also reported the registration of 1,126 international observers and “election experts” from 133 countries and 13 international organizations.
Residents of four Ukrainian regions temporarily occupied by Russia, which Moscow illegally annexed after the start of the full-scale invasion despite not fully controlling them, were also involved in the voting. Elections are also being held in Crimea, temporarily occupied by Russia — an integral part of Ukraine.
