Parl democracy development one of CIS IPA priorities
By Maria Federova

ITAR-TASS
April 17, 2004 Saturday

ST. PETERSBURG, April 17 — Consolidation and development of
parliamentary democracy principles and implementation of constitutional
ideals of a rule-of-law state are among the most important political
priorities of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Russian Federation
Council Speaker Sergei Mironov, who is also IPA council chairman, told
the 23rd plenary meeting of the Assembly in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

In 2003-2004, CIS IPA observers participated in monitoring of
presidential and parliamentary elections in Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Russia, based on the Assembly-worked-out convention on
standards of democratic elections and election rights and freedoms
in CIS states.

The convention gains more and more recognition among international
organisations and countries, Mironov noted.

Addressing the CIS parliamentarians, the speaker called for joining
the convention and accelerating procedures to ratify it.