Putin says US behind poll boycott

ST PETERSBURG – President Vladimir Putin accused the United States yesterday of pushing the OSCE not to send observers to monitor Russian parliamentary elections next week.

The organisation denied the claim. Putin’s tough statement reflected a growing chill in Moscow’s relations with Washington and appeared to send a strong warning that any US criticism of the December 2 vote would further damage already strained ties.”According to the information we have, once again this was done at the advice of the US State Department, and we will undoubtedly take this into account in our relations with that country,” Putin said, referring to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s decision earlier this month not to send observers.The Kremlin has mounted a major campaign to produce a crushing victory for the dominant United Russia party in the Dec.2 vote – perhaps to help secure Putin’s grip on power even after he steps down as president next year.The constitution prevents him from serving three consecutive terms.The OSCE election monitoring office said on Nov.16 that it would not send a mission to observe the vote, saying Moscow had not issued visas in time and created other obstacles.Russia also said it would allow the OSCE to send only 70 observers – far fewer than in previous elections.Putin said the refusal to send observers was aimed at casting doubt over the legitimacy of the vote.”Their goal clearly is to make elections look illegitimate, but they won’t succeed,” Putin said at a meeting sponsored by United Russia.The US Embassy in Moscow declined immediate comment.A spokeswoman for the OSCE’s monitoring arm, Urdur Gunnarsdottir, called Putin’s accusations “nonsense.””This decision was a decision that was only made based on the fact that we were not receiving any visas and were unable to do a meaningful observation of the election,” Gunnarsdottir said.”It was not made on the recommendation or coordinated with any government, and certainly not with the US government.”Gunnarsdottir said the decision was made by the director of the OSCE’s Warsaw-based Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in consultation with the organisation’s elections experts.”These are people who have organised over 150 election observations, so they by now know what they are able to do and not able to do, when it is no longer possible for us to do a proper observation,” she said.When the organisation announced its refusal to send observers, the US State Department criticised Russia’s restrictions on foreign observers and said that Moscow had deliberately hindered the OSCE’s ability to send observers for the vote.Nampa-APPutin’s tough statement reflected a growing chill in Moscow’s relations with Washington and appeared to send a strong warning that any US criticism of the December 2 vote would further damage already strained ties.”According to the information we have, once again this was done at the advice of the US State Department, and we will undoubtedly take this into account in our relations with that country,” Putin said, referring to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s decision earlier this month not to send observers.The Kremlin has mounted a major campaign to produce a crushing victory for the dominant United Russia party in the Dec.2 vote – perhaps to help secure Putin’s grip on power even after he steps down as president next year.The constitution prevents him from serving three consecutive terms.The OSCE election monitoring office said on Nov.16 that it would not send a mission to observe the vote, saying Moscow had not issued visas in time and created other obstacles.Russia also said it would allow the OSCE to send only 70 observers – far fewer than in previous elections.Putin said the refusal to send observers was aimed at casting doubt over the legitimacy of the vote.”Their goal clearly is to make elections look illegitimate, but they won’t succeed,” Putin said at a meeting sponsored by United Russia.The US Embassy in Moscow declined immediate comment.A spokeswoman for the OSCE’s monitoring arm, Urdur Gunnarsdottir, called Putin’s accusations “nonsense.””This decision was a decision that was only made based on the fact that we were not receiving any visas and were unable to do a meaningful observation of the election,” Gunnarsdottir said.”It was not made on the recommendation or coordinated with any government, and certainly not with the US government.”Gunnarsdottir said the decision was made by the director of the OSCE’s Warsaw-based Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in consultation with the organisation’s elections experts.”These are people who have organised over 150 election observations, so they by now know what they are able to do and not able to do, when it is no longer possible for us to do a proper observation,” she said.When the organisation announced its refusal to send observers, the US State Department criticised Russia’s restrictions on foreign observers and said that Moscow had deliberately hindered the OSCE’s ability to send observers for the vote.Nampa-AP