Council of Europe fears Russia vote won't be fair

By Guy Faulconbridge and Oleg Shchedrov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The only Western observers planning to monitor Russia's presidential vote said on Friday the campaign was unfair and slanted in favor of Kremlin front-runner Dmitry Medvedev.

Russia's opposition has called the March 2 vote a farce because television is flooded with favorable coverage of Medvedev, the man outgoing President Vladimir Putin has endorsed to succeed him.

"While in principle the coverage is equal, one of the candidates -- the very important one -- enjoys the benefits of his office so in reality it is not equal," said Andreas Gross, head of an election observation team from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

"An election where there is not a level playing field for all contestants can hardly be considered as fair," he told a news conference.

"We are afraid that the election will not be fair enough and not free enough but the game is not over yet ... because it can still be improved and we will come and see what happens from now to then."

The criticism is likely to deal a new blow to the election's already-dented international credibility.

Europe's main election watchdog, from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Thursday pulled out of monitoring the vote. It blamed restrictions imposed by Moscow for forcing it to withdraw.

ELECTION DEBATES

Russian officials, who in the past have called the OSCE's election watchdog a tool of U.S. policy, angrily attacked the pullout. They called it unacceptable and said the watchdog had been trying to dictate terms to Moscow.

Gross's comments on Friday were unusual because Western monitors usually refuse to give any assessment of an election until after polling day.

He also directed criticism at Medvedev's refusal to take part in televised debates with the other candidates. The front-runner has said he has no time for the debates because he is making campaign trips to Russia's regions.

"We are also very much concerned that one of the candidates .... is not ready to engage in televised debates," said Gross.

"Debate is the soul of an election and a willingness to take part symbolizes the commitment to democratic principles."

Earlier, Medvedev's campaign chief Sergei Sobyanin met Gross and said he welcomed the presence of the Council of Europe observers.

"It's very important to note that Russian elections will be held in full accordance with the constitution and Russian law. We are happy to see anyone who wishes to help us in this process," said Sobyanin, who is also Putin's chief of staff.