KHABAROVSK, April 25. /TASS/. The current election systems in the Western countries have degraded due to non-transparency caused, among other things, by the lack of an observer institution, the head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, said at the first Far Eastern Electoral Forum in Khabarovsk on Tuesday.

"The electoral systems of many Western countries, which position themselves as democracies, have degraded. They have no instrument of monitoring. ‘Why should we have one?’ they say. ‘We trust the returns without it.’ The trust that was established in the past is taken for granted. Let it remain as it is. In the meantime, votes there are counted by the executive authorities. That’s not exactly what one calls objectivity," Pamfilova said.

As an example, she mentioned the US elections where, as she said, the electoral commissions' composition in each state depends on the political affiliation of the majority of the population.

"For example, where the Republicans dominate, the commissions are composed mostly of Republicans. Where the Democrats prevail, they are made up of Democrats. But where is the control system? International monitors are not allowed into many states. In many countries it is even forbidden to take photographs. The media are banned from the polling stations and so on," she said.

According to Pamfilova, the Western countries' complaints about Russia's election procedures are due in part to an attempt to divert attention from flaws in their own electoral systems.