This morning, March 17, the last day of the Russian presidential election, many Russian citizens currently living in Vietnam went to polling stations in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Vung Tau.
Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko votes - Photo: Russian Embassy in Hanoi
Russian voters in Vietnam exercise their citizenship rights
The 2024 presidential election is an important political event in Russia. To ensure the civil rights of voters abroad, Russia has opened a total of 281 polling stations in 144 countries, including Vietnam. On March 17, 800 - 2,000 Russian citizens in Vietnam voted at 4 locations: the Russian Embassy (Hanoi), the Russian Consulate General (Da Nang), the Russian Consulate General (Ho Chi Minh City) and the "Russian village" Vietsovpetro (Vung Tau). In Hanoi, according to According to Tuoi Tre Online, at 10am on March 17, about 80 Russian voters came to the polling station at the Russian Embassy in Hanoi, including Vietnamese voters holding Russian passports. The voting process was quite quick. First, election staff will check the voters' identification documents. After the information is confirmed, voters receive ballots, make their choices and put their ballots in the ballot box. According to Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko, about 200 voters have come to vote in Hanoi so far, out of a total of 300 voters who had previously registered. This number does not include Russian citizens who are on short-term trips to Hanoi.
Russian voters check personal information before voting - Photo: THANH HIEN
Information about the 4 Russian presidential candidates in 2024 is placed at the polling station at the Russian Embassy in Hanoi - Photo: THANH HIEN
Sharing after voting, voter Anna (secretary of the Russian school under the Russian Embassy in Hanoi) said she voted for the incumbent Russian president - Mr. Vladimir Putin "because he is a person with strong decisions and is a talented politician". Another Russian voter named Anna Shukurova said that she found the atmosphere at the polling station in Hanoi very nice and the procedures went smoothly. She is eagerly waiting for the results of the presidential election. In Ho Chi Minh City, from around 8am the same day, some Russian voters began to go to the Russian Consulate General to vote for the president. According to Tuoi Tre Online , there were about 30 voters who are Russian citizens and Vietnamese people with Russian passports who came to vote in Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of March 17.
Ms. Elena and her husband at the voting booth at the Russian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: UYEN PHUONG
Arriving at 9am, Ms. Elena (38 years old) with her husband and 2-year-old son said that she felt very happy and excited about the presidential election. She and her husband assessed that the organization for Russian citizens to vote for the president in Ho Chi Minh City was very organized and standardized. Ms. Rimma and her husband and two children (9 and 2 years old) were also very happy to participate in voting for the Russian president in Vietnam.
Vietnam - Russia relations will continue to develop
Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko takes a photo with voters after casting their votes - Photo: NGO NHUNG
Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko said he had received support from relevant Vietnamese agencies during the preparation and conduct of the Russian presidential election. "The cooperation between the embassy and government agencies in Hanoi was very effective. We are very grateful to the Vietnamese side for creating good conditions (for the election) and for the press for coming to observe," Mr. Bezdetko said. Answering Tuoi Tre Online 's question about Vietnam - Russia relations, he reviewed the outstanding areas of cooperation between Vietnam and Russia such as oil and gas, high technology, transportation, military engineering... and emphasized that the potential for cooperation between the two countries is very large. He also welcomed the resumption of direct flights between Vietnam and Russia, stating that this will create good conditions for official delegation exchanges, trade and business between the two countries, along with more Russian tourists coming to Vietnam. Ambassador Bezdetko affirmed: "The comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam does not depend on the results of the Russian presidential election". According to him, no matter who is the Russian president, "the relationship between the two countries will continue to develop and expand according to high-level and highest-level agreements between the two countries". Russian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Timur Sadykov also expressed high hopes for the development of Vietnam - Russia relations in the coming time. "I hope that the next leader of Russia will continue to pursue a positive foreign policy, including focusing on the development orientation of the relationship, economic exchanges oriented towards Asia towards Vietnam", Mr. Timur Sadykov told Tuoi Tre Online. Regarding the relationship between Vietnam and Russia, Mr. Dmitry Repkov, Counselor of the Russian Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the two countries have many historical similarities. Therefore, he expects the best things to bear fruit between the two peoples. According to Mr. Repkov, there are currently many Vietnamese people holding Russian citizenship and there are also many Russians living, working and studying in Vietnam.
Primary election results will be available soon
The Russian presidential election took place over three days from March 15 to 17. This was also the first year that remote online voting was used, and 4.76 million people registered to vote online. There were 112.3 million people in Russia with the right to vote, and 1.9 million abroad. There were also 12,000 people at Baikonur - the space launch facility that Russia leases in Kazakhstan. The Russian Embassy in Hanoi said that based on preliminary data, more than 700,000 people representing 106 countries had registered to act as international observers. There are four candidates running for the Russian presidency, including Vladimir Putin (independent candidate), Vladislav Davankov (New People's Party), Leonid Slutsky (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia - LDPR) and Nikolay Kharitonov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation - CPRF). The first election results will be available right after 9:00 p.m. on March 17, Moscow time (1:00 a.m. on March 18, Vietnam time), when voting ends in Kaliningrad Oblast.
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