The CEC announced an elective position – Newspaper Kommersant No. 11 (7456) of 01/23/2023

The Central Election Commission (CEC) is routinely preparing for the elections to the legislative assemblies of the new regions of Russia, scheduled for September 2023, and the decision on whether to hold them under martial law will be made by the regions themselves, Ella Pamfilova, chairman of the commission, told reporters. Meanwhile, all four new subjects have already adopted the first normative acts for the formation of the electoral system, and by March 10, regional electoral commissions should appear in them. According to the expert, it is important for the leadership of the country to show through elections that the situation in the new territories is under control, and life is approaching normal.

The Central Election Commission is preparing for the September 2023 legislative elections in new Russian regions. According to Ella Pamfilova, chairman of the CEC, the commission is working in this direction as planned, but the regions will make their own decisions on holding elections. As for the security of voting, according to her, no one will “engage in adventure” and hold elections when the life of voters is threatened. “The elections are still far away. I don’t even doubt that by this moment a lot can change,” the CEC chairman believes.

Recallthat martial law has been in effect on the territory of all four new regions since October 20, 2022, and according to the federal constitutional law “On martial law”, elections are not held under such conditions. At the same time, in all four constitutional laws on the entry of these subjects into the Russian Federation, which entered into force on October 5, 2022, the election date is the second Sunday of September 2023, that is, September 10. Federal law implies that regional elections must be called no earlier than 100 days and no later than 90 days before voting day, that is, between June 2 and June 12, 2023.

Vedomosti earlier it was reported that the presidential administration is looking for ways to hold elections in these subjects, including considering the possibility of introducing legislative changes.

According to Kommersant’s sources close to the presidential administration, there are other options – for example, adjusting the presidential decree on martial law.

At the same time, as before informed Kommersant, all parliamentary parties have already begun preparations for elections to the legislative bodies of new regions.

According to Ella Pamfilova, serious training was conducted with the election commissions of these subjects at the end of last year, and the CEC is currently providing them with methodological assistance. “Now we need to form commissions – this is a serious, very big and difficult job. We deal with all aspects: from financial to organizational, administrative, personnel,” she said.

All four regions have already adopted the first regulations for the formation of the electoral system. So, in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the law “On the system of election commissions” approved on January 18, the first composition of the election commission will consist of 12 members. A similar law was adopted in the Lugansk People’s Republic: an election committee will be formed there before March 10, territorial commissions must be created before May 1, and precinct commissions must be created no later than July 15. On January 18 and 19, decrees on the formation of election commissions were signed in Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, respectively. According to these documents, commissions will also be formed in both regions no later than March 10.

As deputy chairman of the CEC Nikolai Bulaev clarified to journalists, work is also underway on other bills, in particular on elections to state authorities in new subjects of the Russian Federation.

In addition, according to Mr. Bulaev, all territorial and regional election commissions in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation will be connected to the state automated system “Elections” by the beginning of the next election campaign, the necessary equipment for this has already been purchased. With regard to voters, many of whom are currently not at their place of residence (in temporary accommodation centers, hospitals, etc.) or have lost their documents, work is being done in “close contact” with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Nikolai Bulaev said. “Today we have a database of citizens living there who have a Russian passport. There is an exact number and exact details. Full name, year of birth, registration is being specified, ”he explained. According to the deputy chairman of the CEC, this database already contains information about several million people. By the beginning of the election campaign, there will be a database of all those who live in the new territories, as well as those who have left there, but have an active right to vote. Commenting on the issue of a possible change in the boundaries of new regions at the beginning and during the election campaign, the deputy chairman of the CEC noted that there is a federal law in which these boundaries are indicated. “We have funding for the elections today for all of this territory,” said Mr. Bulaev.

Political scientist Vladimir Shemyakin notes two factors that influence the Kremlin’s desire to hold elections in new territories, despite the martial law: “Firstly, this is the inertia of the political-electoral machine. There are people who are responsible for the elections, including in the new territories,” the expert explains. “And of course, they themselves will primarily advocate for holding them, because what else can they do if not this?” Secondly, it is very important for the Russian authorities to remind the public that the state of affairs in the country is under control, and life, despite the special military operation, is still going in a conditionally “normal, stable way,” says Mr. Shemyakin.

“In this regard, the elections in the new territories set a signal of normality and stability. The Kremlin demonstrates that life in the new regions, which are most affected by the special operation, is approaching the usual, all-Russian life,” the political scientist sums up.

The 2023 regional elections will play a special role in terms of preparing for the 2024 presidential campaign, adds Vladimir Shemyakin: “As part of testing the efficiency of the electoral machine before the 2024 elections, new regions especially need such a check.”

Elena Rozhkova, Andrey Vinokurov