Pamfilova said there were many violations in the West of the rights of Russian citizens in the elections

Russians on the territory of Western countries faced unprecedented restriction of their rights by local authorities during the election, the head of the Russian Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said on January 24.

"We faced unprecedented restriction of the rights of Russian citizens who were during the presidential campaign especially on the territory of Western countries. Unprecedented violations and restrictions on the rights of Russians," she told reporters in Minsk after arriving to observe the Belarusian presidential election.

Pamfilova expressed the opinion that due to the restriction of voters' rights in Western countries, the decision of the Belarusian side not to hold voting abroad is absolutely correct.

She also said that the CEC would think about how to prevent violations of the rights of Russian voters abroad by unfriendly states in the future.

Presidential elections in Belarus are scheduled for January 26, 2025. Early voting started on January 21.

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In October 2024, Pamfilova said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, both 2024 election campaigns in the country were successful due to the coordinated work of all agencies and understanding of the importance of these events by voters. Common to both campaigns was a record high turnout, the CEC head added.