Press Release, 31 March 2026

Photo: Ivan Bolshakov / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

On 30 March, the first session of the newly formed Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of the Russian Federation was held. Ivan Bolshakov, member of Yabloko’s Federal Political Committee, head of the party’s Analytical Centre, and Yabloko’s representative on the CEC, describes how the session proceeded and what stood out to him about the rhetoric of the commission’s members.

Representatives of all parties registered in Russia were invited to the first session of the new Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation, Ivan Bolshakov reported:

“Judging by the speeches of the commission’s leadership, the CEC’s primary task is now to protect elections from ‘interference by pro-fascist forces from abroad’ — this is a direct quote. As for the situation inside the country, everything with elections is ‘just fine and dandy’.

“The most popular words in the current CEC vocabulary are ‘security’ and ‘sovereignty’.

“The election of the CEC leadership held no surprises: Ella Pamfilova, Nikolai Bulayev and Natalia Budarina were re-elected as Chair, Deputy Chair, and Secretary of the commission respectively. Pamfilova was nominated for the Chair by Levichev, a representative of A Just Russia, and Bulayev by another A Just Russia representative, Shevchenko. During the nominations and discussion of candidates, they heaped endless praise on one another.

“Notably, those who champion the universal rollout of electronic voting chose their own leadership the old-fashioned way — on paper.

“The commission’s membership has been updated only marginally: Ebzeyev was retired, a seat was given to New People, and a ‘veteran of the special military operation’ was added to the new commission.

“The message to everyone is as follows: no change beyond the cosmetic.”

As a reminder, Yabloko nominated Ivan Bolshakov for the new CEC on 18 February. He has represented the party on the Central Electoral Commission since 2024.

The mandate of the previous CEC expired on 29 March. The procedure for forming the new commission in 2026 remained unchanged: its 15 members were appointed on a parity basis by the Federation Council (on the basis of proposals submitted by the regions), the State Duma (on the basis of proposals from the parliamentary groups), and the President.

To ensure the independence of electoral commissions and free and fair elections, the CEC should be composed exclusively of representatives of political parties, Ivan Bolshakov has previously argued: “Bureaucrats who are dependent on the executive branch will never have any interest in equal rights and opportunities for all participants in the electoral process.”