Elections in Russia 2024: high turnout and lots of police on the first day of the Russian presidential elections

The first day of elections presidential Russian It takes place today with great citizen participation and strong security measures at voting centers.

An informational poster with images and biographies of the four candidates, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, is seen at a polling station during Russia’s presidential election in Moscow on March 15, 2024. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP) (STRINGER /)

“Participate in Presidential elections It’s my civil duty. It depends on us who will be the next president and the future of RussiaThat’s why I urge everyone to vote.“, he told EFE Ayzea 26-year-old prison guard.

As for the participation of Russians – who will be able to vote for three days – at the polls, it was 8.95% at 2 pm local time. Moscow (11:00 GMT), according to official data.

Date68-year-old retired woman, revealed that she voted for the current president, Vladimir Putinwho aspires in these elections to his fifth term as head of Russia. Several voters refused to reveal their electoral preferences.

Both inside and outside schools today you can see strong police devices due to sabotage attempts Ukraine.

Last week, several Western embassies in Russia warned their citizens about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Moscow and other Russian cities in the coming days.

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Incidents in schools

Moscow authorities and media reported some incidents in electoral colleges that had an impact on the voting process in these locations.

Thus, a woman sprayed with Red paint one of the ballot boxes, after which she was detained by security agents.

Another Muscovite played “Zelionka“, a green antiseptic, to the ballot box, shouting proclamations pro-Ukrainianaccording to Activea Telegram channel.

Both could be sentenced to between 3 and 5 years in prison for obstructing the electoral processin accordance with Russian laws.

A woman votes at a mobile polling station during early voting for Russia’s presidential elections in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict on March 14, 2024. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP) (STRINGER/ )

All members of commissions Election officials wear a “V” on their lapels in the colors of the Russian tricolor flag, the emblem of these elections but also a symbol of the current Russian military campaign in Ukraine.

Few election observers could be seen at polling stations in the absence of Western experts, since, as the head of the Central Election Commission explained, Ela Pamfilova, Russia He didn’t invite them because they weren’t transparent or democratic.

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Putin hasn’t voted yet

Meanwhile, intrigue remains over the time and place chosen by the current Russian leader exercise your right to vote.

“As for him (put on) make a decision, we will inform you immediately“, the spokesman for Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov.

In 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2018, Putin, who is seeking his fifth term, exercised his right to vote in the electoral college of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Another retiree interviewed by EFE also gave her vote to Putin because he is the “only decent candidate” among the four candidates for Kremlin registered by the Central Election Commission (CEC), who in recent months denied registration to two opposition politicians who defended peace in Ukraine.

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Electronic voting

During the first half of the day in Moscow, with almost 8 million voters, more than 1.5 million had already voted electronically.

Precisely electronic voting, denounced by the opposition as an instrument of fraud, is the preferred voting method of 80% of Muscovites, according to C.Central electoral omission.

“In Moscow, 80% of voters prefer vote remotely and only 20% go to school“, he said Pamfilova.

An old woman with obvious problems of vision voted in a school in the north of Moscow in one of the electronic terminals, as EFE was able to verify.

This is the first time that Russians have voted electronically in some Presidential electionsas this tool has not yet been used in the previous 2018 elections.

Source: Elcomercio