PACE recognized the new composition of the Russian State Duma as illegitimate: the reason was given

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has not recognized the new composition of the State Duma of the Russian Federation as a democratically elected and legitimate representative body. The relevant resolution was supported unanimously by 59 votes.

This was reported by Yevhenia Kravchuk, a member of the permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada to PACE.

The resolution notes that the “elections” held in Russia did not meet the conditions for a free and fair expression of will. Therefore, the new State Duma, according to the document, cannot be considered a democratically elected or legitimate representative body.

PACE also called for not recognizing the legal or political consequences of the Russian “elections” in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and not interacting with the new composition of the State Duma. Separately, the assembly condemned the coercion of Ukrainian citizens in the occupied territories to participate in the Russian vote.

According to Kravchuk, amendments were made to the resolution that enshrine the principles of international humanitarian law regarding occupation. In particular, temporary occupation does not mean the transfer of sovereignty to the occupying state and cannot be used to change the legal status of the occupied territory.

In addition, PACE called for sanctions to be imposed against the leadership of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, regional election commissions, and other individuals who organized or administered the Russian “elections.” This also applies to those who ensured the conduct of voting in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

PACE previously stated that the so-called State Duma elections would not meet international democratic standards and their results could not be considered a genuine expression of the will of the Russian people. The Assembly also stressed that holding the vote in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine violates Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.