Election monitors have reported being denied access to polling stations as Russia’s nationwide elections continue, while various infractions, including carousel voting and vote-buying, have been recorded.
The elections taking place in 83 regions and cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, will run until September 8 in some areas and will choose governors and regional legislators.
The vote has drawn criticism from groups that defend voters' rights after many opposition candidates were barred by electoral authorities, with Golos, an independent monitoring group, saying before voting began on September 6 that it was an “imitation” of an election with no genuine competition.
Golos has reported difficulties in the monitoring of the vote. Carousel voting was reported at some polling stations, while at least one case of vote-buying was alleged by a candidate.
In the Kasnoselsky district of St. Petersburg, 112 observers were not allowed to monitor voting, which the authorities said was because they were not on approved lists. It was previously reported that district electoral commissions were not working on the days observer lists were submitted, forcing potential observers to send their applications by mail.
Observers were also refused entry to polling stations in St. Petersburg’s Moscow district and in the southwest Bryansk region.
Outside Moscow, observers were reportedly prevented from inspecting or filming inside polling stations, and in Moscow a member of the electoral commission was suspended because he had moved about within the polling station while trying to carry out his work.
In the town of Dolgoprudny in the Moscow region, a "carousel voter" was detained by police after he had voted at several polling stations.
And in voting for the Novosibirsk City Council in central Russia, a candidate claimed he had been offered money to vote for a competitor.
In the central region of Bashkortostan, state media reported long lines at polling stations, which observers and non-state media suggested was the result of promises of lottery prizes, including vacation packages and electronics for voters.
Carousel voting and the removal of independent election monitors was also reported in Bashkortostan.
Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said during a press briefing on September 7 that the elections were proceeding normally, although she said that 4,600 digital attacks on electronic voting systems had been reported.
Most votes are being cast electronically in many regions, although voters can apply to use paper ballots.