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Three-day vote in State Duma elections ensures high voter turnout — SCO mission

According to head of the SCO observer mission Tynchtyk Shainazarov, the observers did not record any irregularities that could question the legitimacy of the State Duma vote

MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. The three-day vote in Russia's State Duma (lower house) elections ensured a high voter turnout and prevented crowds at polling stations, head of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) observer mission Tynchtyk Shainazarov said at a meeting of Russia's Central Election Commission on Monday.

"This is the first time that federal elections spanned over three days, from September 17 to 19. The three-day vote ensured a high voter turnout and made it possible to prevent crowds at polling stations amid the coronavirus pandemic," he pointed out.

According to Shainazarov, SCO observers did not record any irregularities that could question the legitimacy of the State Duma vote. He noted that the Russian elections were an important step towards the development of democratic processes in Russia. "The elections were in line with Russian laws and the country's international obligations. The mission did not record any violations of national laws, which could question the legitimacy of the vote. The mission recognizes the election as transparent, credible and democratic," Shainazarov concluded.

Elections to the eighth Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) spanned over three days, September 17, 18, and 19. In addition to the State Duma elections, voters also cast their ballots for the heads of nine Russian regions and members of 39 regional parliaments.