Address of the Chairman of Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation V.E. Churov

Dear Internet users!

Welcome to the official website of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The website of the CEC is the key information resource on the Internet on elections and referenda in the Russian Federation.

Here you will find a complete, up-to-date and timely information on the activities of the CEC of Russia regarding the implementation of its mandate to ensure the voting rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation as well as their rights to participate in a referendum. The website also provides news on the work of election commissions of 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

The sections “Documents of the CEC of Russia”, “News of the CEC of Russia”, Topical Issues”, as well as other sections regularly provide information on regulatory legal acts of the CEC of Russia regarding the preparation and holding of elections, on meetings with election officials and representatives of political parties and consequently adopted decisions, and on important events organized by the CEC of Russia, or with the participation of the CEC of Russia. The section “Video Broadcast of Meetings of the CEC of Russia” not only allows the users to watch alive the meetings of the Commission, but also includes the multi-media archive of video- and audio-recorded press conferences, meetings, and speeches of members of the CEC of Russia delivered on television and radio.

The modern Russian electoral system is one of the most efficient systems in the world; within the time framework set by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and legislation, it successfully organizes and manages federal, regional, local elections and referendums in 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including  22 Republics, 9 Krais, 46 Oblasts, 4 Autonomous okrugs, an autonomous oblast and 3 federal cities.

Elections are held on the territory of more than 17 million square kilometers with a total voters’ number of more than 112 million people (including citizens living outside the Russian Federation) featuring more than 200 nationalities and ethnic groups.

In 2014, the system of election commissions of the Russian Federation included in its composition the election commissions of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. Moreover, the Russian electoral system has undergone qualitative changes, which are based on important innovations in electoral legislation introduced in 2013–2014.

The elections held on the single voting day, September 14th, were the main event in 2014. Elections in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation on September 14, 2014 were the record ones in terms of a number of regions in which they were held, in terms of a number of election campaigns, a number of participants and a number of Russian voters who have the right to vote. More than six thousand election campaigns in 84 regions of Russia, including the elections to the State Council of the Republic of Crimea and to Sevastopol Legislative Assembly were held on this day.

30 senior officials of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (heads of the supreme executive State government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation), deputies of the legislative (representative) State government bodies of 14 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, heads of municipalities of three administrative centers and deputies of 20 representational bodies of municipalities of administrative centers (capitals) of constituent entities of the Russian Federation were elected.

The elections were competitive, legitimate and transparent. They were characterized by a multiplicity of parties, free access to information about the candidates and activities of the election commissions, in strict compliance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal and regional legislation.

In general, during the elections at all levels 112 thousand candidates were nominated for more than 43 thousand replaceable mandates of deputy and elective positions, namely: 83.4 thousand (74%) were nominated by political parties, 28.9 thousand (25%) - as self-nominated candidates.

The most complete and detailed information on the preparation and conduct of elections on the single voting day in 2014 can be found on our website in the section “Elections in the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation, September 14, 2014”. On this website you can learn about the activities of the CEC of Russia aimed at providing the organizational, legal and methodological assistance to subordinate election commissions, political parties and candidates in the exercising of their powers and voting rights, in monitoring the compliance with voting rights and the right to participate in the referendum of the citizens of the Russian Federation.

The legislative innovations were implemented during the election on a single voting day, September 14, 2014.

According to the changes in the electoral legislation, a prerequisite for registration of a candidate or list of candidates for the election of deputies of legislative (representative) State government bodies, or representative bodies of local self-government is the support of the nomination of a candidate, list of candidates by voters. This support can be determined by the results of the previous elections, or is otherwise confirmed by the required number of signatures of the voters collected in support of the nomination of a candidate, list of candidates¹.

The practical consequence of the implementation of innovations aimed at liberalization and simplification of requirements for political parties as a constituent part of the reform of the political system, launched in 2012, was successful overcoming of the stage of registration and participation of 56 political parties in elections. Deputy's seats and elective positions by the voting results were distributed among 30 political parties, i.e. four parliamentary and 26 non-parliamentary ones.

According to the results of the elections in a single voting day, September 14, 2014, 14 political parties received the right to participate in elections to the State Duma in 2016 without signatures collection. During the elections to the current State Duma, that were held in December 2011, in accordance with previous electoral legislation, only 4 political parties had this right.

In accordance with changes in the electoral legislation adopted in pursuance of decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the voters and referendum participants have the right to appeal to the Court against the decisions, acts (omissions) of a precinct commission associated with the establishment of the voting results at the polling station, referendum precinct, where they participated in the elections, referendum.²

The early voting institute was returned³ to the premises of the election commissions during the elections to the State government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and bodies of local self-government. The early voting was organized almost in all the constituent entities of the Russian Federation during the previous elections.

Changes in the electoral legislation, adopted in 2014⁴, prescribed that the statement on the consent to run for the relevant precinct submitted by the candidate to the Election Commission should include information on previous conviction, even if the conviction was expunged or removed from official records. This information is also to be stated in the signature lists used for the collection of signatures of the voters in support of nomination (self-nomination) of candidates, in signature lists in support of a candidate; as for the registered candidate stated in ballot, the information is to be stated in the ballot and at the information stand in the voting premises. Willful non-disclosure by the candidates of the information on conviction has become a ground for refusing to register them or for excluding them from the certified list of candidates.

The section “Legislation on Elections and Referendums” contains up-to-date information about the federal legislation on elections and referendum.

While visiting the website of the CEC of Russia, you have an opportunity to learn the guidance materials as for the application of the current electoral legislation, about measures to improve the legal culture of voters, election officials, and other participants of the electoral process, as well as about activities aimed to build and strengthen the personnel component of electoral commissions and to improve technical infrastructure of the electoral process.

The CEC of Russia continues cooperation with the state ministries and departments of the Russian Federation. Thus, within the preparation for the elections, agreements with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation were signed; as for the issues of cooperation of the government agencies during the implementation of their powers in the sphere of protection of the rights of personal data subjects, the agreements were signed with the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Communications and the Federal Bailiff Service. “Agreements of the CEC of Russia with the ministries and departments of the Russian Federation” are represented in the section “Documents”.

The section of the website “Political Parties” not only provides access to the unique systematized information on the Russian political parties, including reports submitted by the political parties to the CEC of Russia, but also makes it possible to analyze the participation of political parties in the electoral process, and to receive information about guarantees of equal coverage of parliamentary parties’ activity by state television and radio channels open to the public in between the elections.

The website section “Formation of Precinct Election Commissions and Reserves of Precinct Election Commissions Personnel” provides the relevant updated and systematized information and statistics.

We strive to fulfill the task to provide the most complete and reliable information regarding elections to all participants of the electoral process. The operating the website of the CEC of Russia is organized in accordance with this task.

The CEC of Russia continues to work on the development of cooperation with international organizations and election authorities of foreign countries, taking an active part in international forums, in the activities of international organizations related to the electoral process.

In September 2014, a memorandum of understanding on issues of cooperation in the field of elections between the CEC of Russia and the CEC of South Africa was signed. It is the 27th agreement of the CEC of Russia with the electoral authorities and international organizations.

On October 29, 2014, the CEC of Russia became a member of the Association of Asian Electoral Authorities, a non-governmental organization that brings together election organizers in countries of Asia - Pacific Region.

Representatives of the CEC of Russia regularly participate in international election observation processes. Information about the collaboration and experts’ reports are provided in the section “International Cooperation of the CEC of Russia”.

Russian officials in charge of elections are working with all categories of voters, i.e. young people, people with disabilities and other categories of citizens. Opportunities offered by Internet are also used for these purposes. For example, the CEC of Russia website and websites of the regional election commissions provide information regarding activities held for young and future voters to improve their legal culture and make them interested in the electoral process; these websites also provide information about organized events, including those dedicated to the Day of young voters, about contests, competitions, quizzes etc. The CEC of Russia has developed and has been implementing the “Youth Electoral Concept”, which will be implemented till 2018. All activities related to the work with young people are highlighted in the sections “News of the CEC of Russia”, “News from the Regions” and in the dedicated “Youth Section”. A special link takes to the viewing of videos and educational films of the Russian Center for Training in Election Technologies under the CEC of Russia (RCTET under the CEC of Russia).

I suggest you to read the Work Plan of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation for 2015, which is posted on the website and reflects the main activities of the Commission for the coming year and planned activities, including:

preparations for the elections of the deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the seventh convocation in 2016, including drafting of regulatory and other acts (documents), ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Federal Law dated February 22, 2014 № 20-FZ “On the Election of Deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation”;

providing legal, methodological, informational, organizational and technical assistance to the election commissions, referendum commissions in the preparation and conduct of elections to the State government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and bodies of local self-government, referenda of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, local referendums; moreover, it was planned to perform preparation of a single voting day, September 13, 2015;

monitoring compliance with the voting rights and the right to participate in a referendum of the citizens of the Russian Federation during the preparation and conduct of elections and referendums, consideration of complaints against any decision and act (omission) of election commissions, referendum commissions and their officials;

interaction with political parties on issues of their participation in election campaigns, provision of methodological and consulting assistance to political parties in the practical application of the Russian electoral legislation, regulations and other normative acts of the CEC of Russia, as well as numerous other activities.

Dear users! The website of the CEC of Russia will allow you to obtain the necessary and sufficient information for effective improvement of the legal and political culture, for active participation in the preparation and conduct of elections, and for the fullest realization of Russian citizens’ voting rights and the right to participate in the referendum.

Welcome to our website!

Vladimir Churov!

¹ The Federal Law dated May 5, 2014 No. 95-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law ‘On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum’”.

² The Federal Law dated April 2, 2014 No. 51-FZ “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”.

³  The Federal Law dated May 5, 2014 No. 95-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law ‘On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum’”.

⁴  The Federal Law dated February 21, 2014 No. 19-FZ “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”.