Politics

Russian voters cast ballot in last day of regional polls

Moscow, Sep 11 (EFE).- Voters took to the ballot for the last day in Russia’s municipal and regional elections Sunday, in the first poll since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Polling stations in European Russia opened at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT), nine hours after those on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East.

Counting of the votes will begin at 8:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. GMT).

On Saturday, voter turnout for elections to choose governors in 11 Russian regions hovered between 13% and 44%, according to the Central Election Commission.

Participation in the local legislative assemblies stood at between 19% and 38%, depending on the region.

Over 44 million Russians will elect over 31,000 lawmakers and officials in 82 regions across the country, including 14 governors, according to the electoral authorities.

Although the head of Russia’s Central Election Commission of Russia, Ella Pamfilova, described the electoral campaign as “quite competitive, energetic and lively”, opposition candidates have denounced that they were removed from the campaign under various pretexts.

Unlike in previous years, there has hardly been any electoral propaganda or demonstrations ahead of the polls.

Elections will be held in 125 of the 146 municipalities of Moscow to elect 1,417 municipal lawmakers from a pool of over 5,700 candidates. EFE

mos/ch/smq

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