The pro-Kremlin United Russia party is planning to meet with political parties, opposition leaders and civic groups to discuss how to restore public trust in the country's elections, State Duma Deputy Speaker Oleg Morozov said on Wednesday.
“We are carrying out intensive consultation with all parliamentary and non-parliamentary bodies and various civil society institutions interested in fair elections in order to begin open public dialogue and understand what lawmakers, politicians and civil society institutions should do to restore public trust in elections,” Morozov said.
All registered Russian parties, both parliamentary and non-parliamentary, as well as some opposition figures and experts have confirmed their participation in Thursday’s meeting, he said.
Morozov said he hoped the League of Voters, a public movement in support of fair elections created earlier this month by a group of liberal public figures, would also join the dialogue.
“We have an entire package of initiatives that we will present during tomorrow’s meeting,” Morozov said.
But the League of Voters rejected the proposal, citing City Hall’s refusal, formally announced on Tuesday, to sanction a mass protest rally in downtown Moscow on Feb. 4.
“Our decision is a flat-out no,” group co-founder Ilya Varlamov told RIA Novosti.
“Given the public indignation over City Hall’s decision…the League of Voters council of founders considers it impossible to participate in any events organized by the ruling party,” the group said in an official statement cited on Varlamov’s Twitter.
Mass street protests against alleged election fraud in favor of United Russia during the December 4 parliamentary elections took place across Russia in December. Protesters demanded the results of the polls, in which United Russia gained almost half of the vote, be cancelled and Central Election Commission Head Vladimir Churov be fired.
The protests prompted the authorities to initiate a series of reforms to improve political competition in Russia, particularly by easing registration requirements for political parties.
