ODIHR representatives to visit polling stations in Ryazan - CEC.

MOSCOW, March 14 (Itar-Tass) - Representatives of the Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) under the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe will see several Ryazan polling
stations on Sunday, March 14, member of the Russian Election Commission
Igor Borisov said.
"They'll visit several voting stations which are to test electronic
voting technologies," Borisov said answering an Itar-Tass question.
"The ODIHR officials will be present as guests, not as international
observers, as will other international experts who have been invited by
various Russian public organizations.
"The Russian obligation to invite international observers only applies
to federal election campaigns, i.e. the presidential and parliamentary
election," the CEC member reminded.
"As for observers from political parties and candidates, the law
guarantees that their number at elections at various levels can reach
over 100,000," Borisov said.
However, practice shows that the actual number is much lower, making
up around 50 percent of the limit.
Reporters can be present at voting stations, too. "But the rights of
media representatives and observers somewhat differ," Borisov said.
On Sunday, 76 Russian regions will hold referenda and elections to
legislatures.
In the Khabarovsk region, voting began at 08:00, local time, (01:00,
Moscow time). There are 26 seats in the regional parliament. Thirteen
mandates are distributed over party lists, with 115 candidates competing.
There are 66 contenders in single mandate constituencies.
Representatives of Untied Russia, the Communist Party (KPRF), the Liberal
Democratic Party (LDPR) and Just Russia are registered in all single
mandate constituencies.
The Khabarovsk territory has over 1,050,000 voters. Some 1,400 people
took part in the advance voting held in remote parts of the region on
Saturday.
The election organizers hope for high turnout. At the previous polls,
it reached 34.45 percent, the regional election commission told Itar-Tass.
In the Irkutsk region, voting began at 297 polling stations at 03:00,
Moscow time. Irkutsk is to elect its mayor from three contenders: a United
Russia nominee, acting deputy mayor Sergei Serebrennikov, a KPRF
representative, regional legislator Viktor Kondrashov and pensioner
Lyudmila Koryakova. Irkutsk mayor stepped down after his appointment as
representative of the regional government at the Federation Council.
The region's electorate is estimated at 525,000, according to the
regional election commission.

-0-myz