CEC Raja, Russian counterpart discuss Pakistan delegation to observe Russian parliamentary elections

Raja met Ella Pamfilova in Astana to discuss arrangements for a Pakistani delegation to observe September 18-20 polls

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja held bilateral talks with his Russian counterpart in Astana, Kazakhstan, on arrangements for Pakistan to observe Russia’s upcoming parliamentary elections in September, the Russian Embassy in Pakistan said on Monday.

Raja met Chairperson of Russia’s Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova on the sidelines of bilateral engagements with the electoral authorities of three countries, including Kazakhstan and Türkiye, according to a post shared by the Russian Embassy on social media.

🗳 The Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Russia, Ella Pamfilova, held bilateral meetings with the heads of the electoral authorities of Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Türkiye.

During her meeting with Sikandar Sultan Raja, Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, the… pic.twitter.com/B5Ed5YJViR

— Embassy of Russia in Pakistan (@RusEmbPakistan) August 24, 2026

“The Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Russia, Ella Pamfilova, held bilateral meetings with the heads of the electoral authorities of Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Türkiye,” the embassy said in a post on X.

According to the statement, Pamfilova and Raja discussed arrangements for a Pakistani delegation to observe the Russian parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held from September 18 to 20.

On August 20, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, during a press briefing, highlighted that Moscow sent invitations to 12 international organisations and more than 100 countries to observe the upcoming elections.

Read: FM Dar welcomes 'positive momentum' in Islamabad-Moscow relations

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova detailed that among the 55 country representatives confirming their readiness to come to Russia as election observers were representatives from the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, BRICS, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as countries in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

She said the number of confirmations reflected strong international interest in Russia's electoral process, and a willingness among foreign partners to contribute to the transparency and legitimacy of the vote.

Earlier on August 18, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert Khorev in Islamabad, welcomed the positive momentum in Islamabad-Moscow relations and stressed the need for continued collaboration in key areas and sustained senior-level dialogues.