European observer at elections: first the Communists had 35%, and the combined opposition 40-45%

“When we stoped the count at about 1 a.m., it looked as though the Communists were going to have 35%, and the combined opposition would be about 40 to 45%,” baroness Emma Nicholson, a member of the European Parliament, has told the BBC, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. She monitored the elections as part of the OSCE team. „And by 8 a.m. the figures were really very very different indeed. It was 50% for the Communists and something tiny, very small indeed for the other opposition parties,” Emma Nicholson said. “But we had no proof,” said the European parliamentarian. “I would have been much more guarded, had I been the leader of the delegation, myself,” Emma Nicholson stated. The baroness says she has much experience in monitoring the elections in this region. “Our report was much too warm and friendly towards that vote. The problem is that it was an OSCE report. The OSCE includes the Russians. And the Russians' view was quite substantially different from my own, for example,” said observer Emma Nicholson.