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| Russia 'curbing poll observers' | Russia 'curbing poll observers' |
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| Russia wants "unprecedented" curbs on monitors sent to observe the 2 December election, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says. | Russia wants "unprecedented" curbs on monitors sent to observe the 2 December election, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says. |
| A Russian letter calls for consultation on the OSCE delegation's composition and for its size to be limited. | A Russian letter calls for consultation on the OSCE delegation's composition and for its size to be limited. |
| "This is not business as usual," an OSCE spokeswoman says, adding that the letter may seriously limit the chance for "meaningful observation". | |
| The OSCE international security body often sends monitors to elections. | |
| Its 56 member states come from Europe, Central Asia and the Americas. | |
| The body typically sends a delegation of election observers to a country after receiving an official invitation. | |
| The OSCE says it does not enter into discussions on the size and composition of the delegation. | |
| 'Ready for dialogue' | |
| Urdur Gunnarsdottir, spokeswoman for the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, says the terms suggested in the Russian letter are unprecedented. | |
| "We have to consider its implications," she told the BBC News website. | |
| Ms Gunnarsdottir quotes the letter as saying Moscow is "ready for a dialogue on the composition of the mission". | |
| She says the letter from the Central Election Commission in Moscow also suggests the OSCE delegation "could comprise up to 70 persons", far short of the 465 sent to Russia's last parliamentary elections, four years ago. | |
| December's elections are expected to deliver victory to parties loyal to President Vladimir Putin. | |
| Mr Putin, who steps down as president next year, is popular among many Russians for his economic and foreign policies. | |
| However, opposition groups and human rights activists have accused him of resurrecting Soviet-era authoritarianism. |