Russia sends MPs to monitor accuracy of US midterms

An international delegation of some 75 members, including 10 Russians out of which two are members of Parliament, is in the US to keep a close eye on the US elections following accusations they could be rigged by Kremlin-sponsored hackers, writes the Russian news agency TASS.

Russian legislators Artyom Turov, from the United Russia Party, and Alexei Korniyenko, from the Communist Party of Russia, will “monitor the congressional midterm elections as part of a mission of the [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] Parliamentary Assembly (OSCEPA),” the agency writes.

According to Quartz, the far-right Artyom Turov has called the OSCE “a political farce,” while Alexei Korniyenko. a supporter of collective farming, thinks calls for separatism should be criminalized and has been praised in public by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
OSCEPA delegates will spread out across the US and visit polling stations to observe the security and handling of ballot boxes, voter ID and registry accuracy.

“In one sense, the mission is routine for us–having observed elections in the U.S. a half-dozen times since 2004–but we are also keenly aware that this election is taking place in a context of deep polarization, concerns over election security, and an ongoing investigation into foreign interference in the 2016 presidential contest,” said OSCEPA mission heads George Tsereteli and Isabel Santos.

OSCEPA has been monitoring US elections since 2004. Russia refused to participate in the 2016 US election monitoring.