Early Voting for Presidential Elections Kicks Off in Russia

Early voting in Russia begins on February 25 in remote and hard-to-reach regions, as well as on ships set to navigate during the presidential election voting days, reports Interfax. The early voting period will be extended until March 14.

According to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, members of the electoral commissions traditionally travel to weather and polar stations, reindeer grazing areas, and remote settlements using helicopters, snowmobiles, and even dog sleds.

The commission noted that this represents a very small percentage of voters. In the 2018 presidential elections, early voting was conducted by about 180,000 voters (0.25%) living in hard-to-reach and remote areas, and approximately 31,000 voters (0.04%) at 957 polling stations established on ships.

The main voting for the presidential elections in Russia will take place over three days, from March 15 to 17 this year. The registered candidates for the upcoming elections include Leonid Slutskin, leader of the LDPR party, State Duma Deputy Speaker and member of the 'New People' party Vladislav Davankov, State Duma Deputy Nikolai Khairtonov (Communist Party faction), and the current leader Vladimir Putin.