Amendments to the Law “On Measures of Affecting Persons Related to Violation of Basic Human Rights and Freedoms, Rights and Freedoms of the Citizens of the Russian Federation” were supported by members of all factions of the State Duma at the third and final reading at the plenary session on Tuesday, December 18.
The activities of a foreign organization that “promote or impede the nomination of candidates, lists of candidates, the election of registered candidates, the initiative to hold a referendum and conducting a referendum, achievement of a certain result in an election, referendum, as well as other activity (except for participation in election campaigns, referendum campaigns as foreign (international) observers” will be considered intervention in the Russian elections, says the new law.
This measure will prevent attempts to interfere in the electoral processes in the Russian Federation and the implementation of the electoral rights of the Russian citizens and the right to participate in the referendum.
As it was previously stressed by Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin
Volodin 
Vyacheslav Victorovich The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the eighth convocation. Elected in single mandate constituency № 163 (Saratov constituency - Saratov Oblast) , the law “proposed a clear mechanism that would protect our elections from influence from abroad.”
“If an international or foreign non-governmental organization violates the prohibition and tries to influence the choice of our citizens, it will be considered undesirable and should immediately cease its activities,” the Chairman of the State Duma noted.
The legislation has already established liability for participation in the activities of an organization recognized as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation up to criminal penalty. The maximum imprisonment term is six years.
