Don't Look Behind the Curtain

Why would anybody, especially Russia want to limit outside observation of election results

Russia is seeking "unprecedented" curbs on monitors observing its parliamentary polls, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says.
It wants limits on the size of the OSCE delegation at the 2 December poll, and consultation on its make-up.

The most obvious cynical answer is that there is an effort to put the” fix in”. Even if it isn’t true, it seems to me to be a bad time to pull such a move with the talk about Putin and his power grab. The Russian constitution has a term limit for the President. If this is not revoked, President Putin will be stepping down much like Pres. Bush. It is reported that Putin is very popular and there is a movement to keep him in power.

The Russian Constitution limits a president to two terms, which would mean a natural conclusion in 2008 to Vladimir Putin's presidency. So far, Putin says he will abide by the legal limit. But there are growing calls, whether spontaneous or orchestrated by the Kremlin, to change the Constitution.

Is this an effort to put the right people in place in order to change the Russian Constitution or am I seeing something that isn’t there? The Russian Federation is only 16 years old and is still struggling to find its’ grove in being a more open country. The rumor mill is stirred by questions surrounding Putin for his approach to free press, his involvement in the Ukraine election, and poison allegations. All of this only convinces some that he is perfectly capable orchestrating a permanent power grab.