EU doesn't recognize legitimacy of Russian elections in the Crimea
The European Union does not recognize the elections to the Russian State Duma in the annexed Crimea, as stressed in a statement issued by the representative of the European External Action Service. “The European Union doesn’t recognize the illegal annexation of the Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and consequently doesn’t recognize the holding of elections on the Crimean peninsula,” the statement says.
The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission performed no activities in the Crimea and Sevastopol. “The participation of diplomats of the EU member states in the activity on observation within the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission is also limited to the recognized territory of the Russian Federation that doesn’t include the territory of the illegally annexed Crimea,” the statement notes.
“The European Union remains steadfast in its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” the document says. As previously reported, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) also does not recognize Russian elections in the Crimea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine recently announced the decision on non-recognition of powers of the majority of the Russian State Duma deputies who were elected on the 18th of September.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that not only four State Duma deputies, elected in the Crimea by a majority system but also all deputies elected on the basis of party lists, have lost legitimacy due to the holding of such elections in the Crimea.