MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) not being involved in Russia’s upcoming presidential election will not affect the quality of international monitoring, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The upcoming Russian vote will be as transparent as possible. About 1,000 international observers will arrive in the country to monitor the election at Russia’s invitation based on the 1990 Copenhagen Document of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). They will represent nearly 100 countries and international organizations. The absence of OSCE ODIHR personnel will in no way affect the quality of international monitoring," the statement reads.

The ministry stressed that the ODIHR and its Director Matteo Mecacci were "discredited," which is why the organization "has no business" being involved in the upcoming Russian presidential election.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also pointed out that the ODIHR in fact only carries out political orders, violating the principles of fairness, impartiality and professionalism. "This can clearly be seen from how elections are monitored in some Western countries, where the position of globalist elites has weakened recently. The obvious flaws and irregularities in the electoral systems of Western countries are continuously hushed up and airbrushed, while criticism is flung only at undesirable political forces," the ministry noted. "Even when the ODIHR was invited, it kept shying away from the monitoring process by putting forward ultimatums and groundless demands that Russia, along with other countries, does not have to fulfill," the statement added.

"Russia expects that the ODIHR leadership and those who support it so vigorously will draw the right conclusions from the situation and make efforts to ensure the organization is trusted by all OSCE member states without exception," the ministry concluded.

The Federation Council (upper house of parliament) formally designated March 17, 2024, as the date of Russia’s presidential election. The Central Election Commission decided that the vote would take place over three days, on March 15-17, 2024, making it the first ever three-day presidential election in Russian history.