Presidential Election, 14 March 2004

In response to an invitation from the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, ODIHR observed the 14 March 2004 presidential election in the Russian Federation.

Headed by Julian Peel Yates of the United Kingdom, the mission consisted of 17 core team members and 34 long-term observers from 16 OSCE participating States, based in Moscow and 15 regional centres.

Ahead of election day, the mission was joined by short-term observers, including a delegation of 12 observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Altogether, 336 observers from 39 OSCE participating States were deployed.

According to the mission's final report: "While on a technical level the election was organized with professionalism, particularly on the part of the Central Election Commission (CEC), the process overall did not adequately reflect principles necessary for a healthy democratic election. The election process failed to meet important commitments concerning treatment of candidates by the State-controlled media on a non-discriminatory basis, equal opportunities for all candidates and secrecy of the ballot.
Essential elements of the OSCE commitments for democratic elections, such as a vibrant political discourse and meaningful pluralism, were lacking. The possibilities to draw conclusions about the robustness of the framework for democratic elections, when tested in a more competitive environment, were therefore limited."

Previous elections

ODIHR has observed a number of elections in Russia, including the 2003 parliamentary election, the 2000 presidential election, the 1999 parliamentary election, the 1996 presidential election, and the 1995 parliamentary election.