Date Printed: 11/03/2008 JTS Box Number: IFES- 11 Tab Number: 22 Document Title: Parliamentary And Presidential Elections in Russia, 1999-2000 (Technical Document Date: 2000 Document Country: Russia IFES ID: R01864 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections in Russia International Foundation for Election Systems Parliamentary and Presidential Elections in Russia 1999-2000 Duma Election: 19 December 1999 Presidential Election: 26 March 2000 TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT WITH FOR LEGAL AND EDITOR Paul DeGregorio Lewis Madanick Election Specialist Program Officer, IFES Jorge I. Tirado, JD, CSI Dr. Daphne Skillen IFES Consultant Mass Media Program Manager, IFESIRussia The International Foundation for Election Systems Table of Contents TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................... V EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. VI FOREWORD ..................................................................................................................................................... XI CHAPTER 1: CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS FOR THE ELECTION SYSTEM .............................................................. 1 CHAPTER 2: FEDERAL LAWS GOVERNING ELECTIONS .................................................................................... 3 THE BASIC GUARANTEES LAW ...................................................................................................................3 THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION LAW .................. ..................................................................................7 The Right to Vote and to Be Electe Culling the Elections Election Administrati THE DUMA ELECTION LAW ..................................................................................................................... 10 COMPARISON TO 1995 LAW ..................................................................................................................... 12 INTERRELATION OF LAWS GOVERNING ELECTIONS ....................................................................13 OTHER FEDERAL LAWS ................. ..........................................................................................................14 Decrees and Directives ofthe President of the Russian Federation ............ ............................ 19 Acts of the Governmenl ofthe Russian Federation 19 CHAPTER 3: ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES FOR THE CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS..................................... 21 THE CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION (CEC) ...................................................................................22 SUBORDINATE ELECTION COMMISSIONS ...................... .................................................................22 Subject Election Commissions (SECs) .......................................................................................... 22 District Election Commissions (DECs) ......................................................................................... 23 Territorial Election Commissions (TECs) 23 Precinct Election Commissions (PECs) 24 INDEPENDENCE OF ELECTION COMMISSIONS ...................... .. ...................................................24 TRAINING OF ELECTION COMMISSIONS ......................................................................................... 27 A NEW TRAINING VIDEO ...........................................................................................................................27 CHAPTER 4: ELECTION MONITORING AND TRANSPARENCY ISSUES ........................................................... 31 DOMESTIC OBSERVERS ....................... ....................................................................................................31 Rights Extended to Donlestic Observers............................................................................................................. 33 INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS .......................... .......................................................................... 34 OBSERVERS AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE ELECTION PROCESS................................................ 35 CONFLICTS BETWEEN FEDERAL AND LOCAL ELECTION LAWS .............................................. 36 CHAPTER 5: NOMINATION AND REGISTRATION OF CANDIDATES ................................................................. 39 POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS AND BLOCS ................... ... ................................................................. 40 THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION NOMINATION PROCES 40 THE CIRCULATION OF PETITIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE ...................... ............ 42 Candidates Registered for the Presidential Election ofMarch 26. 2000 ...................... .. .......... 43 Affiliation ofthe Candidate 44 THE DUMA NOMINATION PROCESS .........................................................................................................45 Qual~jkationand Procedure 45 Candidate Registration and Arbitrary Decisions .........................................................................46 CHAPTER 6: MASS MEDIA AND PRE-ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNING ................................................................. 49 BACKGROUND ............... ..............................................................................................................................49 MEDIA COVERAGE ............................ ............ ..................................................................................................50 GOVERNMENT PRESSURE ..................... ................................................................................................51 THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT........... ... .....................................................................................................53 SANCTIONS, PENALTIES AND ADJUDICATION OF GRIEVANCES ............... .. ...................... 55 CHAPTER 7: CAMPAIGN FINANCE ...................................................................................................................... 61 THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK-AN OVERVIEW .........................................................................................62 Campaign Finance Provisions in the Basic Guarantees Law ................................................... 62 Campaign Finance Provisions in the Duma Election Law 63 Campaign Finance Provisions in the Presidential Election Law 63 CAMPAIGN FUNDS OF REGISTERED CANDIDATES......................................................................... 65 USE OF ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN FUNDS ................................................................................................65 CONTROL AND TRANSPARENCY MECHANISMS ................................................................................66 RESPONSIBILITY FOR VIOLATION OF FINANCIAL REGULATIONS ............... ......................67 ELECTION CAMPAIGN PRACTICE - DUMA AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS .......................67 ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS ...................... .. .........................................................................72 CHAPTER 8: TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE AUTOMATED ELECTIONS SYSTEM .VOTER REGISTRATION........................................................................................................................... 75 BACKGROUND ............ .................................................................................................................................76 THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM ........................... ................................................................................................77 77 77 78 THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL CONTINUOUS POPULATION REGISTER ........................... ..... 79 INTRODUCTION TO POPULATION REGISTRATION .......................................................................... 80 Population Registratio 0 Histo 0 Civil 0 Responsibility for Registration: Citizen or the State? ................................................................... 81 Possible Scenario for a Population Registration Framewor I Computerization Alternatives 2 Performance Criteriafor a 3 The Experience of Other Countries ............................................................................................... 83 Populution Register Challenges .................................................................................................... 84 POPULATION REGISTRATION AND TRANSPARENCY ISSUES ................. .............................86 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................................87 CHAPTER9: GENERAL ISSUES RELATING TO THE CAMPAIGNS ................................................................... 91 CHAPTER 10: THE VOTING PROCESSES AND POLLING DAY PROCEDURES................................................ 97 BALLOTS AND BALLOT SECURITY ............................................................................... .................. 97 VOTING OUTSIDE THE POLLING STATION AND USE OF MOBILE BALLOT BOXES ..............98 EARLY VOTING .................................................................................................................................................98 ABSENTEE VOTING .........................................................................................................................................98 STANDARD PROCESSING OF VOTERS AT THE POLLS .....................................................................99 POLLING STATION SIZE AND VOTING BOOTHS .............................................................................