The European Union does not recognize the Russian presidential elections in occupied Crimea, the EU spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, the European External Action Service (EEAS), has said.
“The European Union does not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and therefore does not recognize the holding of elections in the Crimean peninsula. The OSCE/ODIHR observers did not conduct any activities in these illegally-annexed territories, participation of EU Member States’ diplomats in observation activities within the framework of the OSCE/ODIHR EOM [Election Observation Mission] was also limited to the recognized territory of the Russian Federation. The EU remains unwavering in its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” the statement posted on the EEAS website says.
According to the preliminary findings of the internationally-recognized OSCE/ODIHR EOM, the elections were conducted in an overly controlled legal and political environment, marked by continued pressure on critical voices.
The OSCE/ODIHR EOM recorded restrictions on freedoms of assembly, association and expression, as well as on candidate registration, which limited the space for political engagement, resulting in a lack of genuine competition.
Overall, the OSCE/ODIHR EOM recognized that elections were administered efficiently and openly by the Central Electoral Commission and, on the day, conducted in an orderly manner despite shortcomings related to vote secrecy and transparency of counting.
“We expect Russia to address the violations and shortcomings reported by the OSCE/ODIHR EOM, as they run against Russia’s OSCE commitments and other international obligations,” the statement said.
