By RIA Novosti
Moscow : An information center, Election 2008, opened in Moscow on Friday ahead of the presidential elections due at the weekend
The center, located at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry near Red Square, offers free telephone calls and Internet access to over 2,000 Russian and foreign accredited reporters.
Election officials said the center will hold hourly news conferences, briefings and roundtables with international observers, NGO representatives, Russian and foreign political analysts and election law experts.
“The [International Information Center] IIC’s main task is to ensure coordination between international monitors, members of Russian NGOs and the media during the presidential elections,” a member of the Central Election Commission (CEC) said.
On Sunday, the center will work round the clock, and will hold a news conference with the election chief, Vladimir Churov, on Monday who will announce the preliminary results. It will close later on Monday.
A CEC member said on Friday that 227 international observers have been accredited to monitor the polls as of Thursday evening, but their numbers are expected to grow to 300 as more experts are expected to arrive on Friday.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly pulled out from monitoring the Russian polls earlier in February citing restrictions imposed by Russia.
Moscow denied the allegations and accused Europe’s main election watchdog of bias.