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Russia has faced meddling in its polls since 2016 - elections chief

Ella Pamfilova also said the CEC had some problems with international observers at the election

MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Russia’s Central Election Commission has faced foreign meddling in the country’s polls since 2016, in particular dissemination of false information on their results, CEC chief Ella Pamfilova told the Itogi Nedeli weekly news roundup on Russia’s NTV television channel.

"Certainly," Pamfilova said. "Since the first day when the new members of the Central Election Commission started working, in April 2016, this process has been constantly underway. We have experience of certain meddling and influence from different sides," Pamfilova said.

"This comes in a very diverse manner: they take a situation, interpret it not the way it was in reality. Then this does the rounds like the snowball effect, and a powerful information trash is created aimed at showing that the election is unfair and everything is bad," she explained.

Pamfilova also said the CEC had some problems with international observers at the election, including from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "They were interested in things that are very far away from the election. There were some moments when we had to warn them."

Russia’s presidential election will be held on March 18, 2018.