Russian President Vladimir Putin, running as an independent candidate in the country’s presidential elections, cast his electronic vote on day 1, reported Russia-based TASS. Footage released by the Kremlin depicted Putin walking to a computer in his office, voting, and then smiling and waving at the camera. The computer monitor displayed a notification confirming the successful casting of his vote. This isn’t the first instance of Putin voting online; he has done so in previous years during the autumn single election day.
These ongoing presidential elections in Russia mark the introduction of online voting for the first time, as per TASS. On the first day alone, over 3.5 million people across Russia cast their votes online, with a reported 73% voter turnout recorded by the e-voting monitoring portal.
The initial declaration by the Russian Federation Council set March 17, 2024, as the election date, but later, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) extended the voting period to three days, from March 15 to 17.
Putin faces opposition from candidates such as Vladislav Davankov, Leonid Slutsky, and Nikolay Kharitonov. While Putin is running as a self-designated candidate, Davankov was nominated by the New People Party, and Slutsky and Kharitonov represent the LDPR party and the Communist Party of Russia, respectively.
This extended three-day format for the presidential polls in Russia has been well-received by the public, according to Russian Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova. If re-elected, Putin would serve an additional six years, making it his fifth term in office, as per Al Jazeera.
(With ANI Inputs)