Experts ranked administratively dependant election commissions for the Election to the State Duma

The movement ‘Golos’ has looked into the system of election commissions, responsible for running the Election to the State Duma.

Co-Chair of ‘Golos’ Movement Board Grigory Melkonyants:
— The report contains a very thorough, textually rich analysis that sets the standard of work for the commissions, the criteria that they must meet. I am grateful to my colleagues for their titanic efforts in analysing and ranking commissioners. In addition, the ranking of TECs entrusted with the powers of DEC, is encompassed. Soon we will release the ranking of the regional commissions.

According to the report prepared by the movement experts Arkady Lyubarev and Vitaly Kovin, the very success of Election to the State Duma depends on ‘composition, professionalism and independence of regional election commissions, as well as those territorial election commissions (TECs) entrusted with powers of district election commission (DEC)’.

The Report ‘On ECTERF and TEC’ (PDF, Rus)

The analysis revealed that the composition of 55 regional election commissions - almost two-thirds of the total - will remain almost the same as in 2011 Election. Their mandate expired this summer, however it has been extended due to the postponement of the Election until September. Some commissions were reshuffled in April-May of 2016. New appointments reinforced the UR representation and increased the number of administration officials among the commission members. The number of representatives of other parties actually has not changed.

Experts ranked election commissions which have a dangerously high likelihood of administrative dependence.

TEC ranking based on potential administrative dependence in Election to the State Duma in single-member constituencies by region (PDF, Rus)

It turned out that almost half of the TECs, entrusted with the powers of the DEC in the Election to the State Duma, might be potentially dependent on administration. Majority of such commission members either represent local authorities or are under its control.

In addition, according to the ‘Golos’ experts almost half (40) TECs running the election pertain to ‘high level of potential administrative dependence’. In these territorial election commissions, half or more of all TEC members may be subject to administrative influence. 36 TECs are subject to an average level of potential dependence, seven - low.

‘Golos’ has identified six regions with the largest number of administratively dependent TECs with DEC powers vested: Tatarstan, Rostov region, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Moscow and Moscow region.

Tatarstan turned out to be the top-ranked what concerns administrative dependence, where 6 out of 6 commissions are with high probability of administrative dependence. In Krasnodar Krai, 4 out of 6 commissions may be subject to administrative influence.

The movement believes that a range of measures, including the modification of election commissions formation, would reduce the dependence of election commissions on the authorities.

I would like to remind that on the Single Election Day, 18 September 2016, the Election to the State Duma of the VII convocation is held, as well as a number of regional and local elections, including the Gubernatorial Elections in seven Russian regions, elections to the regional legislative bodies in 39 territorial entities of Russian Federation and the elections to representative bodies of local government in 11 administrative centres of Russian territorial entities.

The movement advocating for the voters’ rights ‘Golos’ has been carrying out long-term observation of the Election scheduled for 18 September.