Russian election chief shrugs off Western criticism

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's election boss on Thursday shrugged off Western criticism about the fairness of Sunday's presidential election, saying it was part of an international campaign directed against Russia.

The only Western observer mission to monitor the March 2 election has said it fears the election will not be fair because the campaign is slanted in favor of President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev.

Andreas Gross, who is leading an observer mission from the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, told Reuters on Wednesday that its findings would be tough and would criticize a lack of choice.

"This (criticism) is part of an international policy, part of activities directed against the Russian Federation," Russian media quoted Central Election Commission Chairman Vladimir Churov as telling a meeting of young Russian voters.

"Some international observers come to Russia with ready-made conclusions and opinions which have nothing in common with reality."

Opponents of Medvedev complain that the Kremlin's dominance of the airwaves and the use of government resources to help Medvedev have left the campaign one-sided, a claim the Kremlin denies.

Churov said some 300 observers had been accredited to monitor the election. They include a mission from the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation uniting Russia, China and Central Asia.

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov)