Russian Presidential Elections Kicks Off With High Turnout

On Friday, Russians began to vote on the first day of the presidential elections, which is taking place with high citizen participation and strong security measures at the voting centers.

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"Participating in the presidential elections is my civil duty. It depends on us who will be the next president... That is why I call on everyone to vote," said Ayze, a 26-year-old civil servant.

Four candidates are registered for the election, namely incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov from Russia's New People Party, and Nikolai Kharitonov, the Russian Communist Party's candidate.

Early voting for the presidential election began on Feb. 25 when voters in remote, hard-to-reach areas, polar regions, overseas vessels, and border outposts cast their votes. Russian citizens living abroad started their early voting on March 1.

Under Russia's presidential election law, the president, who serves as the head of state, is elected directly by the citizens for a six-year term.

Eligible candidates must be Russian Federation citizens who are at least 35 years old, have resided in Russia for more than 25 years, and have never held citizenship of another country.

A candidate who secures more than half of the votes will be elected president. If no candidate achieves a majority and there are more than two candidates, a second round of voting will be held between the two candidates with the most votes.

The counting of votes will begin once the election concludes and will continue until the results are finalized. The final results will be confirmed no later than March 28 by Russia's Central Election Commission and will be announced within three days of confirmation.