Members of Russian Central Election Commission have done a "tremendous job" to ensure that both physical and electronic forms of voting run smoothly, Namibian MP John Musialela Likando, who was an observer during the presidential election in Russia, told Sputnik Africa.
"I'm very impressed with the setup and also the technologies that have been put in place. The systems [manual and electronic] are very efficient, they are very fast, and also the verification is just in a few seconds. I must say that the process is also very transparent from the first point of verification until the last ballot. […] I think the Central Election Commission have really done a tremendous job to ensure that both systems work and doesn't frustrate the voters," the observer said.
He also underlined that no violations or irregularities have been noticed.
Likando continued, saying that he came to learn from "one of the biggest democracies in terms of size and population" and implement the new knowledge in his country. For example, he noted that the Russian electronic voting system is more advanced and allows voting online wherever a person is. Also, the citizens only need a passport and don’t require having a voter’s card, like in Namibia. These features make elections more convenient.
Moreover, with the help of the technology, even visually impaired people can vote with no problem, Likando noted, adding that the voting system is "very friendly to all ages."
“The system provides the flexibility and the comfort [for everybody]. […] It's a very inclusive system. And also it shows that the Central Election Commission did a very good study to ensure that it gives a high turnout of voters. Come physically or electronically, there will be a high turnout in the end,” the observer concluded.
Manuel Camati, member of the National Electoral Commission of Angola, also observed the election and echoed Likando's positive attitude towards the election. He pointed out that no violations occurred during the voting process.
“We didn’t find any problems, no violations. [Everything went] very well, without problems. And everything was peaceful,” he told Sputnik Africa.
He also noted that elections are part of the sovereignty of each state, and therefore it was important for him to be personally present in this process. Moreover, it gave the observer an opportunity to learn new things.
Lastly, speaking about the technological innovations of the Russian elections, Camati said that they help to quickly resolve any issues, and the electronic voting option allows “to minimize the number of errors and speed up electoral processes.”