(VOVWORLD) - Voters began voting in Russia’s Kamchatka region at 8 a.m.on Friday. Polling stations across Russia will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on 3 consecutive days. This is the first time Russia has held a 3-day presidential election.
 Candidates for Russia’s 2024 presidential election. (Photo: Reuters) |
Russian Central Election Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova, speaking at the opening of the Commission’s Information Centre for the 2024 Presidential Election declared the electoral system ready for the election.
94,000 polling stations will handle 113 million ballots, and 12,600 reporters have registered to cover the election.
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.
Public opinion polls before the election predicted that Putin will win an overwhelming victory and serve another 6-year term.
The Russian Federation amended its Constitution in 2020 to allowing Putin to serve two more terms.
Putin won the presidential election in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018.
This year’s vote counts will begin to roll in on Sunday evening. The Central Election Commission will announce a preliminary result on Monday morning.