Russia to bar US monitors from March presidential election – deputy FM

Source: RT

February 23, 2018 at 13:57

Copy of a ballot for the upcoming Russian presidential election, whuch will be held on March 18, 2018, demonstrated during the presentation held at the Russia's Central Election Commission in Moscow © Evgeny Biyatov / Sputnik

US diplomats and staff of various American organizations will not be allowed to monitor the upcoming Russian presidential election, in reply to a similar ban issued by the US in 2016, the Russian deputy foreign minister has said.

“As for the American diplomats and workers of the offices of various US organizations in Russia, they will not be permitted to participate in this process [poll monitoring], considering the fact that during the 2016 elections in the US the staff of Russian organizations in the US were denied such an opportunity,” Sergey Ryabkov was quoted as saying on Thursday by Interfax.

The deputy minister also added that this would not apply to US citizens who work for the monitoring mission of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

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