Voting in Russia, which is the largest country in the world, lasts three days.
Voting for the Russian presidential election began on Friday morning, while Vladimir Putin is the only serious candidate and the clear winner.This election will be held a month after the death of Alexei Navalny, the main leader of the Russian opposition.Vladimir Putin, the current president of Russia and a candidate for the presidential election, asked the people to participate in the elections.Polling stations on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia’s easternmost region, opened at 8 a.m. local time and will close at 8 p.m. on Sunday in the westernmost region of Kaliningrad.Russian authorities have predicted high participation of people in these elections.Participation in the 2018 elections was officially 68%.In parts of occupied Ukraine that Russia calls “new regions,” polls opened ten days before election day, and social media is abuzz with ads urging people to vote. Vladimir Putin is not facing a serious challenge in this election and he is looking for a fifth presidential term.His staunchest critics have either gone into self-imposed exile or are under house arrest.But the Kremlin believes that Russia has the “best democracy” in the world.Along with Mr. Putin, the names of three official rivals are written on the ballot.Nikolai Khartonov is the candidate of the Communist Party in the current election. Although more than 30 years have passed since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party is the second most popular party in Russia.The other two candidates are Leonid Slutsky from the nationalist LDPR and Vladislav Davankov from the New People’s Party.Despite their very different political positions, all three generally support Kremlin policies, and none would stand a chance against the incumbent president.Another politician who tried to participate in the elections and was not allowed was Boris Nadezhdin, an anti-war politician.
