Address of V.E.Churov, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation

Dear Internet users! You are welcomed at the official site of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

Current 2012 year was marked by considerable changes in the election legislation of the Russian Federation. First of all, I’d like to mention direct election restoration of higher officials of the subjects of the Russian Federation. In addition, major amendments to the standards that regulate nomination of all levels candidates were introduced, the procedure for political parties’ registration was simplified, an additional point is that penalties for the election legislation violations were increased. Actualized versions of legal acts are presented at our Web site in section “The legislation on elections and referenda”.

According to the new legislation standards the single voting day was held in the subjects of the Russian Federation on October 14, 2012. About 4,900 election campaigns and 160 local referenda were held in 77 subjects of the Russian Federation. In addition, election of higher officials of the subjects of the Russian Federation (heads of the supreme executive state power bodies of the subjects of the Russian Federation) was conducted for the first time after eight years interval in 5 subjects of the Russian Federation (the Amur, the Belgorod, the Bryansk, the Novgorod, and the Ryazan Regions). Election of deputies of the legislative (representative) bodies of state power of 6 subjects of the Russian Federation (the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, the Udmurt Republic, the Krasnodar Territory, the Penza, the Saratov, and the Sakhalin Regions) was conducted. Election of the head of the urban district “Kaliningrad City” was conducted. Election of deputies of the representative bodies of municipal formations - administrative centers of 7 subjects of the Russian Federation (Cherkessk, Barnaul, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Vladivostok, Kursk, Tver, and Yaroslavl cities) was conducted.

Unique experience of the Internet live broadcasting of the voting and vote counting process which was first carried out during the election of the President of the Russian Federation on March 4, 2012 has been continued on the single voting day on October 14, 2012. 5,288 hardware-software complexes for video observation were installed at election precincts. Total number of the views of observation portal from different regions of the Russian Federation constituted more than 4.5 million.

More than 2,500 election precincts of 45 subjects of the Russian Federation were equipped with the modern technological equipment for voting and vote counting – ballot processing complexes. All systems of this technological equipment worked in a normal mode.

This election campaign was specific due to participation of new political parties. 28 political parties in total had the right to fight for votes. Objectively, 25 political parties, including 18 new parties, took part in the elections processes. According to the results of the elections conducted on October 14, 2012 the following incumbent political parties were presented in the state power bodies and representative bodies of municipal formations - administrative centers of the subjects of the Russian Federation: “UNITED RUSSIA”, “CPRF”, “LDPR”, “PATRIOTS OF RUSSIA”, “FAIR RUSSIA”, and “YABLOKO”. “The Republican Party of - People's Freedom Party” received one seat in the Barnaul City Duma. All elections are recognized as duly conducted. Information on the results of elections conducted in the subjects of the Russian Federation on October 14, 2012 is presented at our Web site.

The official Web site of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation contains not only obligatory data prescribed by the law, but also data on current activity of the CEC of Russia.

Within its powers and competencies the CEC of Russia renders legal, methodological, and organizational and technical assistance to election commissions of all levels, including issues on implementation of new provisions of the legislation, carries out broad public awareness campaign in order to rise legal and political culture of voters, election organizers, and participants of election campaigns.

The Program of expedited technical re-equipment of the electoral system of the Russian Federation was developed for the purpose of improvement of informational and communicational infrastructure necessary for ensuring of the electoral rights of citizens based on the use of modern information technology, extending possibility of the society control over the election process and the establishment of voting results.

New legislation provisions and country-wide implementation of the new informational and telecommunication technologies require optimization of advanced training of members of election commissions of all levels. The Russian Training Center of the Election Technologies under the CEC of Russia has developed “The concept of organization of training of election commissions’ personnel and other participants of the election (referendum) process in the Russian Federation for 2012-2014”. The draft document which takes into account the new requirements to the election system, that stipulates professional development of election commissions’ members’ works, and defines main work streams within election organizers’ and other participants of the electoral process training was sent to the political parties and members of the Public Scientific-Methodological Advisory Council under the CEC of Russia for discussion.

The CEC of Russia prepared the Model Law on election of higher official of the subject of the Russian Federation and sent it to the election commissions of all 83 subjects of the Russian Federation for the purpose of rendering of methodological assistance. The document was used by regional authorities when developing the law of the subject of the Russian Federation, enactment of which is prescribed by the Federal legislation provisions. The Model Act on the recall procedure of a higher official of the subject of the Russian Federation was prepared and sent in a similar way.

Publishing activity of the CEC of Russia has the same purposes: methodological assistance and public awareness campaign. The following collection of the informational and analytical materials has been already published: “Election of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the Sixth convocation, 2011” and “Election of the President of the Russian Federation, 2012”. Methodical materials concerning the electoral process are published.

Press-conferences, briefings, work meetings, and visits to regions of the CEC of Russia members are organized within the informational explanatory work. 4 meetings with chairmen of election commissions of the subjects of the Russian Federation were held in August and September in order to provide strict compliance with the law standards and in connection with the single voting day on October 14, 2012. The meetings’ agenda included issues regarding application of innovations in the electoral legislation, tasks of election commissions on elections conduct in the conditions of actively developing civil society, use of vote counting technical equipment and video monitoring systems, and image translation in polling stations during elections and referenda, organization of trainings and testing of members of territorial and local election commissions.

Advertisement and information on all activities carried out by the CEC of Russia and with our participation can be found in news section of our Web site and in news archive.

International cooperation, including engagement of the CEC of Russia representative into participation in international missions of observation over election and organization of the electoral process in certain countries, including within the frames of the OSCE and the CIS, constitutes an important part of the CEC of Russia work. In 2012 the CEC of Russia representatives took part in international observation of the election process in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Egypt, Mexico, Republic of Belarus, Venezuela and Ukraine.

International cooperation of the CEC of Russia includes reception and organization of work meetings with members of foreign delegations, coming to Russia for participation in international observation of elections in our country, studies of the Russian electoral system, and exchange of organization and elections conduct experience. For example, delegations from 56 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America participated in international observation of the President of the Russian Federation elections that were conducted on March 4, 2012. At our invitation delegation of the CEC of the Republic of India and the OSCE/ODIHR representatives arrived to Russia for studying experience of the single voting day held in the subjects of the Russian Federation on October 14, 2012.

Work conference of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the State Election Commission of the Republic of Poland related to the electoral right of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Poland was held in Warsaw in September of the current year as a part of international cooperation. Legal regulations and development of institutes of the electoral right, including development in the area of new information technologies application were discussed at the conference.

In September 2012 representatives of the CEC of Russia also took part in the joint conference of the European commission for democracy through law (“Venice Commission”) of the Council of Europe and the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. Subject of the conference which took place in St. Petersburg was “The role of political parties in democratic society: legal grounds for organization of their activity”. During the conference we presented our opinion on actual issues of the legal regulation and ensuring of transparency of political parties’ financial activity in the Russian Federation.

Information on these events and materials of the CEC of Russia representatives’ speeches are published in the news line on the Web site and in the Current issues section.

One more direction requiring the system approach and constant attention is youth outreach. There is a special Youth section on the Web site related to young and future electors. It provides basics of regulatory system, information on new information technology application, and electoral history interesting facts. Materials on the most significant events held in the subjects of the Russian Federation are also presented here. Election commissions take a creative approach to youth outreach with a view of improvement of legal culture and electoral activity of young voters, and attraction of their attention to the election commissions’ activities.

There is a special section “Chamber of the CEC of Russia” on our Web site, where you can ask a question, state your wishes, offers or file a complaint after filling the electronic application form.

The CEC of Russia Web site is an active working resource where everyone will find information that is necessary or interesting for him or her: be that issues of the electoral legislation, news from regions of the Russian Federation, or the official position of the Central Election Commission of Russia on current issues. Transparency, openness, and publicity are the main operational principles of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

Welcome!

Vladimir Churov