SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel, in Russia as an election observer for the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), spoke this weekend to a number of Russian citizens who voted, against their better judgement, only because they feared that they would be punished should they register an abstention by staying at home. At the same time, while visiting a polling station he was told by local election observers that in a number of cases ballot slips had been photographed. Other OSCE observers also came across clear abuses. "These parliamentary elections have made it clear that a considerable amount remains to be done if Russia wants to be seen as a real democracy," Van Bommel concluded.
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