The first polling stations have officially opened.

At 8:00 a.m. local time on March 15 (about 3:00 a.m. the same day Hanoi time), the first official polling stations in Russia's Kamchatka Region opened for people to vote in the 8th presidential election.

Because Russia spans nine time zones, most polling stations in Moscow and the western region will officially open at 12:00 Hanoi time. Polling stations will operate from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for three days from March 15 to 17. Notably, this is the first time Russia has held a presidential election in three days.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Central Election Commission (CEC) information center in Moscow on March 14, CEC Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova announced that the electoral system is ready for the election. A total of 94,000 polling stations will operate in this presidential election with more than 113 million ballots prepared. 12,645 reporters from 2,458 media agencies have registered to cover the election.

Russian citizens have officially carried out their duty to choose the country's leader for the next 6 years. Photo: Rian

This year's election is a race between four candidates: Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party, Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), and incumbent President Vladimir Putin - who is running as an independent candidate.

Pre-election polls predict that President Putin will win by a landslide against the other three candidates and continue to serve another six-year term after the Russian Federation amended its Constitution in 2020 to allow him to continue serving as head of state for two more terms. Putin has won four Russian presidential elections. In 2000, he was elected with 52.94% of the vote; in 2004, he won with 71.31%; in 2012, the figure was slightly lower - 63.60% - and in 2018, it was a record 76.69%.

Ahead of the election, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on television on March 14, calling on Russians to exercise their right to vote and reaffirming the country's unity.

Mr. V. Putin emphasized: “It is necessary to reaffirm our unity and determination to move forward together. Each of your voices is valuable and meaningful. Therefore, I call on you to exercise your right to vote in the next 3 days.”

According to President Putin, in the difficult conditions of the country, it is important to continue to successfully cope with challenges and continue to demonstrate unity and self-confidence. He stressed that Russians care about their homeland and want the country to be prosperous, strong and free. Putin noted that only the Russian people can decide the fate of the country and that elections are a step towards the future.

CEC Commissioner Igor Borisov informed that the preliminary results of the presidential election will be announced on the morning of March 18. The CEC will start announcing the first results from 9:00 p.m. on March 17 (approximately 1:00 a.m. on March 18, Hanoi time).

Source: https://congthuong.vn/bau-cu-tong-thong-nga-2024-cac-diem-bo-phieu-dau-tien-da-chinh-thuc-mo-cua-308785.html