"It is a rude, incompetent lie… It makes a mockery of the level of competency of the people who represent the State Department," Pamfilova said.
The chairwoman noted that it made no sense to "appeal to the conscience of those who earn their Russophobic bread." She added that the CEC provided equal opportunities to monitor the election as it had nothing to hide.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert tweeted Friday that the Russian Central Election Commission had allegedly denied observer status to 5,000 independents, in what she said was a proof that Kremlin authorities "fear transparency."
The #Russian Central Election Commission’s decision to deny observer status to over 5,000 independent media observers shows Kremlin authorities fear transparency ahead of the March 18 #elections. What are you trying to hide, #Russia?
— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) March 16, 2018
READ MORE: Election Day Fun: What Else Russians Will Be Doing During Sunday's Vote
On Sunday, March 18 people across Russia will vote in presidential elections choosing between eight candidates vying for the country's top job. The candidates are: Sergei Baburin from the All-People's Union party, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, incumbent President Vladimir Putin, Civic Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak, Communists of Russia party chairman Maxim Suraykin, Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs' Rights Boris Titov, co-founder of the Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinsky and head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
