MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. Delegations from 36 countries are arriving in Russia at the invitation of the Federation Council (the upper chamber, or "senate," of Russia’s parliament) as foreign observers of the Russian presidential election, Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said.

"As of today, delegations from 36 countries, including 30 national parliaments, as well as five international organizations, have come [to Russia] to monitor the presidential election at the invitation of the Federation Council," the senator said. He listed five international organizations: the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN).

According to Kosachev, over 200 parliamentary observers have been accredited to monitor the election. "Plus, there have been several dozens of election experts (also invited by us), and this number will only grow," the senator pointed out.

 

On international observers

 

Under Russian elections law, foreign observers may be invited by the head of state, the government, the parliament and the Central Election Commission (CEC) after the decision to hold the presidential election has been published.

The Federation Council officially designated March 17, 2024 as the date of the presidential election. The CEC then announced that voting will take place over three days on March 15-17. Four candidates will vie for the top office, namely New People party nominee Vladislav Davankov; self-nominated candidate and incumbent President Vladimir Putin; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) nominee Leonid Slutsky; and Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) nominee Nikolay Kharitonov.