AssetID: 56084160
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: European Parliament Slams Russian State Duma Elections as “Complete Sham”
Caption: European Parliament Slams Russian State Duma Elections as “Complete Sham”. The European Parliament has condemned Russia’s September State Duma elections, describing them as a “complete sham” and saying they took place without genuine political competition. MEPs said the vote was held in an increasingly repressive environment, with independent observers excluded and opposition figures facing restrictions, arrests and prison sentences. The elections, held from September 18 to 20, were the first parliamentary vote in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won 349 of the State Duma’s 450 seats, according to Russia’s official results, securing a strengthened constitutional majority. The European Parliament questioned the credibility of those results, citing reports of voter coercion, ballot manipulation and other irregularities. It also criticised the exclusion of Yabloko, the only registered party openly campaigning for an end to the war in Ukraine, from the federal ballot. MEPs particularly condemned Russia’s decision to hold the elections in occupied Ukrainian territories, arguing that such votes violate international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty. The Parliament is calling on the EU and its member states not to recognise the legitimacy of the elections or the resulting State Duma, while urging Russia to release political prisoners. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Current Affairs & Politics,Duma,legislative,elections,president,Vladimir Putin,European Parliament,United Rusia,Yabloko,irregularities,fraud,coercion,manipulation,Ukraine,war,territories,occupied,repression,opposition,parties,persecuted,marginalised
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