Russian Elections 'Peaceful and Well Organized' – Foreign Observer
© Sputnik / Konstantin Mihalchevskiy
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The 2026 State Duma election in Russia went off without a hitch, BRICS International Forum President Purnima Anand, who attended as an international observer, tells Sputnik.
Anand, who personally visited several polling stations in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, notes that:
All ballot boxes were sealed and showed no signs of tampering, and all staff at the polling stations were very cooperative. “For opening, voting and closing, counting, the behavior of the commission was very good.”
The election was transparent, with no signs of attempted bribery or intimidation of voters. Observers and polling station staff checked voters’ IDs to ensure that no voter fraud took place
The robust digital infrastructure in the region helped streamline the monitoring of the voting process. “Because villages were connected with the districts, districts were connected with the central system of polling stations, and the central polling station of the district was connected with the federal election system. So each and every polling station can be connected technically, digitally and we can check by cameras that everything is going well.”
The ballot counting process was transparent, with both used and unused ballots being tallied to rule out any discrepancies. “This was very transparent and cameras were there, security was there so there is no manipulation possible during that time.”
The observers reported no irregularities and no violations.
“I feel these elections are best managed and the result is also very good,” adds Anand.
