CANADA QUESTIONS DEC. 2 RUSSIAN ELECTION

The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement regarding allegations of irregularities during the parliamentary elections held in Russia on December 2:

“In light of the allegations that irregularities took place, we reiterate our regret that the elections could not be properly observed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the organization that has the best track record in the area of election observation.

“We can only hope that the alleged irregularities will be thoroughly investigated. We have already expressed our concern to Russian authorities.

“We do not see any reason for a modern and prosperous Russia to settle for a lesser form of democracy than its G8 partners.”