Yuri Kobzar18:01, 03/18/24

France separately condemned voting in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

France does not recognize the so-called Russian presidential elections , which ended yesterday, and condemns numerous violations of international law and the principles of a fair electoral process. This is stated in a statement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs .

“The election process in Russia took place against the backdrop of increasing pressure on civil society and any form of opposition to the regime, increasing restrictions on freedom of speech and a ban on the activities of independent media,” the statement said.

The French Foreign Ministry emphasized that opposition leader Alexei Navalny died shortly before these elections “due to the tightening of the conditions of his detention by the Russian authorities,” and candidates who opposed the war in Ukraine were not allowed to participate in the elections.

“International standards regarding candidates’ equal access to the media during the campaign were not met. Once again, the conditions for free, pluralistic and democratic elections were not met,” the Foreign Ministry said.

It is noted that Russia did not allow independent observers from the OSCE to participate in the elections. The holding of Russian elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova was also a flagrant violation of international law.

“France does not and will never recognize these so-called ‘elections’ and their results,” the statement said.

(C)UNIAN 2024