Putin will meet with members of the Central Election Commission and heads of regional election commissions on November 15

On November 15, President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting in the Kremlin with members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and chairmen of regional commissions. The meeting is timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Russian electoral system. Three interlocutors close to the CEC told Vedomosti about this. Vedomosti sent a request to the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov did not answer Vedomosti’s question.

On September 24, Putin, in a video message dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Central Election Commission, thanked the commission for the “clear, verified organization of the electoral processes.” According to him, over the past 30 years, the electoral system has come a long way; in recent years, new digital solutions have been actively introduced, remote electronic voting has been used, etc.

“In fact, this year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the entire electoral system of Russia,” he stated. Pamfilova in the “Bulletin of the Central Election Commission” published her address for the 30th anniversary: ​​“The electoral system of Russia: from the “cart” to the DEG.” In it, she recalled that the countdown was September 24, 1993, when the first President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on the formation of the Central Election Commission for the State Duma elections, which took place on December 12 of the same year. At the same time, elections to the Federation Council and voting on the draft Constitution of Russia took place.

The composition of the Central Election Commission for the State Duma elections was slightly different (20 people, half from regional parliaments, half from executive authorities).

“Scientists agree that the electoral tradition of the Russian state is 1161 years old and begins in 862, when Rurik was called to the great reign at the veche meeting, which marked the beginning of the first monarchical dynasty.

After the election of the lower house of the first convocation, the Central Election Commission received its current name, and since 1994, the first version of the law on basic guarantees of citizens’ electoral rights established that the commission coordinates elections of federal authorities on an ongoing basis. The number of its members was reduced to 15, and the principle of formation also changed – on a parity basis (five people each from the president, the State Duma and the Federation Council).

The rest of the changes were mainly tactical. For example, since 2007, when LDPR deputy Vladimir Churov was appointed chairman of the commission, the need for the head of the Central Election Commission to have a higher legal education was abolished.

The last such meeting was held in the Kremlin on October 30, 2018. It was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Russian electoral system. That meeting was attended by members of the Central Election Commission, heads of regional election commissions (there were 85 of them at that time) and chairmen of the Central Election Commission of previous convocations.

Then Putin thanked the commission staff for their “professionalism and responsibility.” The President said that in the electoral system there are almost a million members of commissions at various levels and the “stable, democratic development of our society and state” depends on their work.

Previous such meetings of the president with members of the Central Election Commission and regional election commissions were accompanied by joint seminars of regional vice-governors on domestic policy and chairmen of subject commissions, says political expert Oleg Zakharov. This is necessary precisely to provide a general information and methodological field during the elections, he explains.

“There is a formal reason for team building of the electoral system. And the agenda is determined by the need to ensure a reasonable balance between the sovereign’s task of the legitimacy of the upcoming elections and the local zeal of the regional authorities,” the expert believes. In his opinion, for this it is necessary to “look everyone in the eye” and in a confidential manner outline the uniformity of electoral procedures, so that the boundaries of what is permissible are palpable and the KPI becomes clearer.

This is an anniversary meeting, and refusal to hold it would raise questions, says political scientist Alexei Makarkin. “It doesn’t really matter that it is taking place on the eve of the presidential elections, since it is unlikely that anything unexpected can happen there, and that the heads of the election commissions may behave differently if the president does not meet with them. Any well-functioning system loves rituals; they play a stimulating role and emphasize the importance of certain institutions. Therefore, since there was a meeting five years ago, it is still being held now,” says the expert.

Maxim Ivanov contributed to the preparation of this article