Russia’s chief election manager has said all 650 international observers will be able to monitor a crucial parliamentary vote on Sunday.
“We will accredit all 650 international monitors,” election commission head Vladimir Churov announced on Tuesday.
There had been fears Russia may limit foreign monitors at its parliamentary elections on December 4.
But Churov, who has been accused of favoring the ruling United Russia party, warned monitoring groups including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, against being overzealous.
“You should be very careful… We are guarding democracy and law,” he said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned Western powers against attempts to “influence the course of the election campaign in our country” in what independent observers described as his “total misunderstanding” of the political crisis in Russia.
