External opponent

The European Union expressed concern about violations during the elections to the Russian State Duma. The procedure for conducting elections "did not comply with international standards and the obligations voluntarily taken upon by Moscow," the Portuguese presidential in the European Union said in Brussels, reports the Air Force.

The document also expresses regret in connection with "numerous reports and statements about the infringement of the media, as well as the opposition of opposition parties and non -governmental organizations on the eve of the elections and on the voting day." EC calls on Moscow to conduct an investigation in connection with messages about violations.

Despite criticism, the document also says that "the EU took note of the election results and welcomes the fact that they passed in an organized manner and subject to order."

The EU chairman also expressed regret due to the fact that the BDIPCH mission did not participate in observing the vote, which is a “reliable base in terms of full assessment of the elections,” RIA Novosti reports.

According to the Air Force, most EU countries expressed concern in connection with reports of violations of the law during the Russian elections. One of the most sharp critics was Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk. "We in Europe should not be tolerant of a situation in which certain democratic standards are violated," he said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, according to the Kremlin’s reports, the Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi called Vladimir Putin and congratulated on the victory of United Russia in the elections. This happened a day after Prodi called on the Russian authorities to "clarify" the results of the elections in view of active criticism from abroad. Putin was also congratulated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The act of Sarkozy, apparently, contradicts the position of his own foreign policy department, which expressed criticism about the Russian elections - on the basis of a report by European observers who declared violations.

Foreign news agencies also reported that American president George Bush expressed concern to Vladimir Putin in connection with the Russian elections. “I said that we were sincere in the expression of our concern about the elections,” AFP quoted Bush’s words at a press conference.

However, Putin’s spokeswoman Alexei Gromov said that Bush did not express concern. "The Russian President criticized some actions and statements of the US State Department in connection with the parliamentary elections in the Russian Federation," Gromov said. "George Bush noted that the American foreign policy was acting in such a way as to sincerely bring his mood to the Russians."