The European Union (EU) has criticized what it called a state of emergency before Russia's parliamentary elections and called for a lack of independent election observers. The union's foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said what they witnessed in the election was an environment of intimidation for all independent critics.
The three-day election, which ended yesterday, has given President Vladimir Putin's ruling party a landslide victory, despite opinion polls showing a sharp decline in party support.
Opposition parties have stated they will not run in the by-elections, and Stano has told reporters that the European Union is concerned about reports by internal observers.
He said there were no independent international observers, so it was very difficult to see how the election was conducted. Independent internal observers have reported numerous irregularities during the election.
