Voting starts in 3-day Russian presidential election

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MARCH 15, 2024) - People across Russia began to vote in the three-day 2024 presidential election on Friday. Four candidates are competing for the post of the head of state in the eighth presidential vote of the Russian Federation: Vladislav Davankov, nominated by the New People party; incumbent President Vladimir Putin, self-nominated; candidate of the Liberal-Democrat Party of Russia Leonid Slutsky, and Nikolai Kharitonov from the Communist Party. Head of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova told press briefing in Moscow that over 94,000 polling stations have been set up, which will remain open from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. local time. Early voting took place in remote areas, as well as on ships and in military units, from Feb. 25 to March 14, and more than 2.3 million people in 42 regions voted early. As many as 295 polling stations are also operational in 144 countries. For the first time, Russian citizens also have an opportunity to vote via the State Services online portal in 29 regions. Ahead of the election, the Foreign Ministry reported numerous attempts abroad aimed at disrupting the vote. Pamfilova separately said it is for the first time the presidential election is being held "in such a toxic geopolitical environment." According to her, the Russian electoral system "has a powerful margin of safety in order to organize and conduct the election exactly as the people demand and expect." Pamfilova also repeatedly talked about plans from the West to influence the course of the election, saying there are "more than enough people who want to discredit the elections." (Footage by Sefa Karacan / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)