After the refusal to register the candidate Mikhail Kasyanov for the March presidential poll, the President of the ELDR Party, Annemie Neyts MEP, calls on the National Electoral Commission to evaluate their decision in order to assure democratic elections and, if necessary, a recount and rechecking of invalid signatures. “The Russian election seems to be suffering from a lack of information on both sides”, said the ELDR President, who met the Russian liberal candidate last Thursday during the ELDR Russia Conference in Brussels. “Everybody, government officials and the general public, should consider that political freedom and a democratic system guarantees the right to stand for office and freedom of speech without censorship or intimidation. The EU can only have a real partnership with a democratic and free Russia,” commented Annemie Neyts. ELDR believes that people should have the opportunity to directly question government decisions and that the government should be transparent with its citizens Read more ...

  On 24th January the ELDR Party conference discussed on the nature of EU-Russia relations focusing on EU trade and business with Russia, civil society and political parties and EU foreign policy with regard to Russia.  Particular attention was paid to the economic aspects in implementing structural reform programs in Russia. ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck chaired the press conference with the Russian Presidential candidate and current Leader of the People’s Democratic Union, Mikhail Kasyanov, and Kristiina Ojuland, MP and First Vice-President of the Estonian Parliament. Read more ...