Senator urges Ukraine to learn lessons from successful Russian elections in Crimea – Russian Politics & Diplomacy

SEBASTOPOL, September 21. / TASS /. Ukraine should learn from the successful experience of the Russian parliamentary vote in Crimea instead of criticizing the elections, said Russian Senator Olga Kovitidi, who represents Crimea, commenting on the decision of the Ukrainian security services to open a criminal investigation into the elections to the State Duma in Crimea.

“The vote in Crimea in Russia has been recognized as valid, its legitimacy and transparency have been confirmed in particular by foreign observers and experts. Ukraine, as well as other foreign partners, should learn from Crimea how to organize the elections and equip polling stations, “noted Kovitidi.

She also warned the Ukrainian authorities against wasting time on “decisions which are clearly legally negligible”. “I believe that the Ukrainian people will benefit more from the effective work of the country’s law enforcement agencies aimed at fighting corruption in the government,” said the Russian lawmaker.

After a Western-backed coup in Ukraine in February 2014, authorities in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol held a referendum on reunification with Russia. Most voters supported the idea (96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in the city of Sevastopol) and the turnout exceeded 80%. On March 18, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Crimean Reunification Treaty with Russia, which was ratified by the Russian Federal Assembly (parliament) on March 21. However, Kiev refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.