The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, convening in Barcelona, Catalonia on 19^th and 20^th November 2009:

Notes:

-         That during recent years the Russian electoral system has been significantly changed. While a majority electoral system was replaced by a proportional one, the technical requirements for registering a political party were significantly toughened, including increased minimal party membership (now – 45 000 members). In contradiction to Article 11 of the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms new political parties are refused registration under the pretext of different ‘technical’ issues. Moreover, incumbent parties and their members are granted marked priority by law over all other associations and non-aligned citizens (e.g., candidates not belonging to a party, represented in the State Duma, must generally collect at least several thousands signatures to take part in elections);

-         If democracy requires political balance and should ensure people's participation in the decision making process, it is obvious that this trend is non existent in Russia.

-         That the recent practice of elections in Russia is characterised by numerous rejections of the registration of independent candidates and a prejudiced attitude towards them in courts, strikingly unequal access of the democratic opposition to the mass media, administrative pressure on independent participants and their representatives, limited transparency and lack of access of independent and international monitors to different stages of the electoral process and many reported cases of outright falsification which were not followed by proper investigation.

States:

-         That these issues taken together mean that elections in Russia have become significantly less free, fair, competitive and transparent. It contradicts Russia’s international obligation according to the Charter of the Council of Europe and OSCE guiding documents.

Calls on:

-         The institutions of the Council of Europe and OSCE to thoroughly analyse the existing discrepancies of Russian election legislation and practices with uniform democratic standards and demand that the Russian authorities abide by their obligations and the rule of the international institutions of which Russia is a part.