#12 - JRL 8149 - JRL Home
Subject: Re: 8148-Veshnyakov Interview
From: Ethan Burger <ethansb@american.edu>
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2004

It is a real shame that Mr. Veshnyakov, Head of the Russian Central Election Commission, does not seem to understand that there is more to fair and free elections than merely counting ballots properly. At a conference held at the Institute of State & Law in Moscow about 18 months ago, many of the Russian academics in attendance tried to make this point to him.

Unfortunately, given the problems in Florida in 2000, the U.S. has lost some of the high ground on this issue. Let's hope that as a country, we have corrected the technical problems that plagued our last presidential election and continue to address the need for further campaign reform.

It is a real shame that Mr. Putin (and most of the other incumbent elected officials in the successor states of the Soviet Union; ignoring the Baltic States) have not yet learned that incumbents seldom lose elections in any real democracy, unless there is has been (i) bad economic performance and/or (ii) illegal, improper or dishonest conduct.

Perhaps, Mr. Veshnyakov should re-read the OSCE standards embodied in numerous declarations dealing with elections as well as the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Russia is a member of OSCE and a signatory to the Covenant. Under Russian law, international obligations trump any contrary domestic legislation. The requirements contained in these documents are excellent objectives for government officials and legislators to aim for in our imperfect world.

Best wishes,

Ethan S. Burger, Esq.
Scholar-in-Residence
Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC)
School of International Service
Adjunct Associate Professor, Washington College of Law
American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20016
www.american.edu/traccc.