On 2 September 2026, Head of the CIS Observation Mission and CIS Deputy Secretary-General Ilkhom Nematov discussed the monitoring of the parliamentary elections in Russia with State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Evgeny Ivanov.
The meeting was also attended by Andrei Avdeev, Ambassador at Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Maxim Germanchuk, Deputy Director of the First Department of the CIS of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Yevgeny Kozyak, Head of the Staff of the CIS Observation Mission; and Oleg Kuleba, Advisor to the Department for Organizing the Activities of the CIS Observation Mission.
Ilkhom Nematov thanked the leadership of the Russian foreign ministry for inviting the CIS Observation Mission to participate in monitoring the campaign for the elections of deputies to the 9th State Duma and for the Mission’s ongoing support, as well as for assistance in organizing the necessary meetings with representatives of federal bodies involved in the electoral processes.
According to him, the Mission Headquarters traditionally provides both long-term observation and coordinates the work of short-term Observations. The formation of the Mission is currently underway. Nominations received from CIS member states and bodies are being compiled by the Mission Headquarters and submitted to the Russian Central Election Commission for accreditation. The total number of Observations from the Commonwealth will exceed 100 people.
Ilkhom Nematov highlighted that the Mission’s main task is to collect complete and accurate information about the various stages of the election campaign and, on this basis, assess whether the preparation and conduct of the elections comply with national legislation. All this work is aimed at helping to form a legislature that will genuinely protect the interests of voters.
Evgeny Ivanov spoke about the Ministry’s work to enable Russian citizens abroad to exercise their electoral rights, as well as its cooperation with international Observations.
Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrey Avdeev noted that the CIS Observation Mission would receive all necessary assistance in carrying out its tasks.