Russian Presidential Elections Enter Their Final Day

On Sunday, Russia celebrates the last day of a democratic process in which 114 million eligible Russian voters will choose their next president among four candidates.

RELATED: 

Russia: 51.77% Turnout on Second Day of Elections

The presidential elections have proceeded smoothly despite drone attacks from Ukraine and cyberattacks on the vote-counting system, said Ella Pamfilova, the chairwoman of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Since the start of the elections on Friday, Russian technicians have blocked around 160,000 attacks on the remote electronic voting system, she explained.

Over the past two days, nearly 60 percent of eligible voters have turned out at the polls. Approximately 2.6 million people voted in advance. Among them are soldiers and residents of the Donbas region.

Once the elections are over, the vote count will begin. District election commissions must report the results by March 19, while the federal subject election commissions will do so by March 21. The CEC is expected to announce the results before March 28.

Previously, authorities accredited 1,115 people from 129 countries to observe the elections in at least 52 Russian regions. The number of citizens authorized to vote is 112.3 million in Russian territory, 1.89 million abroad, and nearly 12,000 in the city of Baikonur in Kazakhstan.

Authorities have set up 281 polling stations in 144 countries where Russian citizens residing abroad or traveling can cast their votes.

Four candidates are running in the elections: Vladislav Davankov (New People Party), President Vladimir Putin (independent candidate), Leonid Slutski (Liberal Democratic Party), and Nikolai Yaritonov (Communist Party).