The French Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the Russian parliamentary elections, in which the ruling United Russia party is heading for a comfortable victory, did not meet the conditions for free elections, adding that organizing a vote in the occupied Ukrainian territories represents another violation of international law.
The ministry added in a statement, “The escalation of repression against civil society and the opposition, the exclusion of many political parties, the tightening of restrictions on freedom of expression, and the banning of independent media are all factors that have undermined the ability of the Russian people to form and freely express their political choices.”
