Voting starts in Russian Presidential election

Moscow, March 15 (IANS) Russian voters started to hit the polls for the 2024 Presidential election in the Far East region, including Kamchatka, Chukotka and other areas at 8 a.m. Friday local time.

Four candidates will vie for the top position: Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party; Nikolai Kharitonov of the Russian Communist Party; Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party; and Vladimir Putin, the incumbent President and an independent candidate.

Russia has set up more than 90,000 polling stations operating from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time between March 15 and 17, Xinhua news agency reported.

Given Russia's vast expanse across multiple time zones, Kamchatka and Chukotka, situated in the Far East region, are the first areas to start voting. Polling stations in Kaliningrad, located at the western end of Russia, will be the last to start voting.

According to data released by the Russian Central Election Commission, about 110 million Russian citizens are eligible to vote, including more than 1.8 million living abroad.

Under Russian Presidential election regulations, a candidate who receives more than 50 per cent of the votes will secure victory. In cases where there are more than two candidates and no one attains 50 per cent of the votes, the Central Election Commission will declare a second round of voting for the top two contenders. The candidate with the highest votes in the second round will be elected President.

The Russian Central Election Commission will confirm the election results no later than March 28 and subsequently announce the outcomes within three days of confirmation.