Senior Russian Official Comments on “Western Position” on Ongoing State Duma Elections

Sudanhorizon – Agencies

Russia began voting yesterday, Friday, in elections for deputies to the ninth State Duma, alongside elections for other legislative bodies. Voting will continue for three days until tomorrow, Sunday.

Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, commented on European positions regarding the Russian elections, saying that Moscow does not care about the West’s opinion of the State Duma elections and that what matters most is that Russians themselves recognize their responsibility at this moment and in this electoral process.

Speaking to reporters after casting her ballot at a polling station in St. Petersburg, Matviyenko said: “Their (Western countries’) opinion is understandable to us, and it does not matter to us. I believe it is very important that all citizens recognize the responsibility of the moment. Elections in Russia are the most popular form of democracy, and they are an opportunity for every citizen to exercise their constitutional right and express their position.”

Matviyenko stressed that Russia’s adversaries would not be able to disrupt the elections, as Russian authorities announced that the country had been subjected to a large-scale cyberattack.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on reports that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had urged European Union member states not to recognize the elections in Russia, saying: “They in the European Union have not recognized Kallas for a long time.”

Kallas had earlier sent a letter to EU member states calling on them not to recognize the results of the elections in Russia.

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