CIS observers of parliamentary elections in Russia

The mission of observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) who will monitor the State Duma (Lower House) elections has got to work in Russia, said Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee and the head of the observers' mission Yury Yarov.

"In our activity we are guided by the law of the state where we are working at the moment. Our main principles are: political neutrality in regard to candidates and political parties," said Yarov.

For the first time the CIS observers began working in 2001 at the presidential elections in Belarus.

More than 200 representatives of the CIS will be monitoring the parliamentary elections in Russia. "There are 89 subjects in the Russian Federation, and different time zones - something which will affect the process," noted Yury Yarov.

"There must be people to collect all the necessary election information in the districts and transfer it to the CIS observers," said Yarov.

He expressed the hope that the observers will cooperate with the local bodies of power "in order to receive the necessary assistance, communications and equipment."