European Parliament Calls for Non-Recognition of Russia's New State Duma

The European Parliament on Thursday approved a resolution describing the recent elections to Russia's State Duma as a complete farce.

In the document, members of the European Parliament call on the international community and European countries not to recognise the newly elected lower house of the Russian parliament as a legitimate governing body.

Voting in occupied territories

During the debates, particular attention was paid to the fact that the vote was also organised in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. MEPs condemned the practice. According to the text, soldiers there routinely took voters to polling stations by force.

The resolution is a political message from the European Parliament regarding its stance on the Russian electoral process and the State Duma formed as a result. It reflects lawmakers' position that a vote held under such conditions cannot be considered free and fair.

The MEPs stress that elections in occupied territories, where people are pushed toward the ballot box under pressure, cannot be recognised as a democratic expression of will. In their view, the new State Duma therefore cannot be regarded as legitimate representation.