Russia is electing a third president in its history this Sunday. Its second president – Vladimir Putin - was elected to the post eight years ago. He has already served two four-year terms and is to step down from office under the Russian constitution.
The presidential elections are being held in Russia for the fifth time. The presidential post was instituted at a national referendum in 1991. Russia’s first president was Boris Yeltsin.
Four candidates are running for the presidential post. They i
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nclude self-nominated Andrei Bogdanov, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the Communist Party of Russia leader Gennady Zyuganov as well as Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev was nominated by the United Russia Party and supported by the Fair Russia Party, the Agrarian Party of Russia and the Civil Force.
In order to win, a candidate has to gain more than half of the votes of voters who took part in the elections. Otherwise, a second round is to be held. A total of 5.2 billion roubles have been allocated for the elections, including the second round, from the state budget.
The Russian Central Election Commission says Russia has 108 million 947 thousand eligible voters, of which 1.6 million are registered at consular sections abroad. A total of 96,300 polling stations, including 364 in 142 countries of the world, have been set up.
Preliminary results for the Far East and Kamchatka region will be known tonight after 21:00 Moscow time when the last polling stations close in Russia’s westernmost territory – the Kaliningrad region.
The Russian Central Election Commission has promised to announce preliminary results not later than 10:00 Moscow time on Monday, March 3.
The CEC president Vladimir Churov has said the final official vote results may be summed up on March 7, 2008.
Polling stations opened in Russia's northern Kolyma district, the Magadan region, and the Kurile Island of Paramushir at midnight Moscow time. The Magadan region and Paramushir are located in one time zone. They are eight hours ahead of Moscow.
According to Larisa Batsayeva, the secretary of the election commission of the Magadan region, there are more than 122,000 voters in the Kolyma district who are eligibe to take part in the Russian presidential election. They will vote at 121 polling stations, eleven of which have been set up at marine vessels. The turnout at the 2004 presidential elections in the Magadan region was 62.15%.
The town of Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir Island has about 2,000 voters.
Russia is electing a third president in its history this Sunday. Its second president – Vladimir Putin - was elected to the post eight years ago. He has already served two four-year terms and is to step down from office under the Russian constitution.
