MOSCOW, Mar 15: A presidential vote has begun in Russia: over the next three days, Russians will elect their president for the next six years.

It will be the first presidential vote to employ the latest technologies, tested during earlier lower-level polls: a three-day voting period and a remote vote. For the first time, residents of Donbass and Novorossia will take part.

Polling stations have already opened their doors in Russia’s Far Eastern regions, specifically in the easternmost Kamchatka and Chukotka. Vladimir Solodov, the governor of Kamchatka, became the first regional head to cast his ballot.

Candidates will compete for the top state post in the 2024 election, the eighth overall in the history of modern Russia. They are Vladislav Davankov (nominated by the New People party), incumbent President Vladimir Putin (self-designated candidate), Leonid Slutsky of the LDPR party and Nikolay Kharitonov (the Communist Party of Russia).

At the very start of the presidential race, a total of 33 people, including nine contenders from parties and 24 independent contenders, planned to run for Russian presidency. Only 15 of them eventually submitted the documents required to be registered as candidates. When the deadline for filing documents expired on January 1, only 11 candidates remained in the race, but only four were eventually registered.

Scope of the vote

For the first time ever, the presidential election in Russia will continue for three days. According to Russian Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova, Russians liked this format, because it gives them more opportunity to vote.

Overall, more than 94,000 polling stations will be open in Russia from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time. With the exception of several locations abroad, the vote will be formally over at 9:00 p.m. on March 17, when polling stations in Russia’s westernmost region of Kaliningrad will close their doors.

A total of 295 polling stations will open in 144 foreign countries and on the territory of the Baikonur space centre, which Russia leases from Kazakhstan. The exact timeframe of the vote abroad will vary from country to country. Thailand will be the first country where polling stations will open on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Phuket.

The upcoming presidential election will also be the first time that voters will have the option of casting their ballots electronically, with online voting available in 29 regions, including Moscow, comprising one-third of the country’s constituent regions. Voters were able to submit applications to cast their ballots online from January 29 through March 11.

Overall, more than 4.7 million people applied to vote online. The results of the online vote will be known between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Moscow time on March 17. (TASS)