Russian presidential elections: online broadcast – MK

Official messages from the Central Election Commission, the situation in the regions, reports from polling stations

In Russia, on Sunday, March 17, 2024, presidential elections are being held. For the first time, voting is held over three days – March 15, 16 and 17. Today is the final day. MKRU is broadcasting online. After the closure of polling stations throughout the Russian Federation, we will report the results of the exit polls, and then the official data, which will be published by the Central Election Commission. Follow with us everything that happens in the regions and at voting stations.

The Central Election Commission included four candidates for the post of President of Russia on the ballot. These are Vladislav Davankov from the New People party, Leonid Slutsky from the LDPR, Nikolai Kharitonov from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the current head of state Vladimir Putin, who is a self-nominated candidate.

According to the Central Election Commission, according to the results of the second day of voting, the turnout was 55.10%. But there are regions in which turnout has already exceeded 90% – this is Chechnya. In the LPR, 63.97% voted, in the Belgorod region, despite the fact that a missile danger was declared there six times, more than 70% voted, also 77.7% voted in the Kherson region, in the DPR, the republican Central Election Commission reported on the turnout based on the results of the first day voting – 69.28%, in the Zaporozhye region based on the results of two days – 72%, in Crimea – more than 60%.

More than 300 thousand people are watching the elections this time, 700 of them came from abroad.

The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation noted that the elections are being held in difficult conditions. Chairman of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova reported the day before that since the beginning of voting, 160 thousand DDoS attacks on DEG resources have been blocked, of which 130 thousand were directed against the voting portal, and 30 thousand against the monitoring portal for DEG. But the attackers failed to break through the defense. There have also been attempts to damage ballots using dyeing liquids; there are cases of arson, the use of smoke bombs, and firecrackers. Instructions to spoil ballots in the Russian presidential elections came from Ukraine and some European countries, Ella Pamfilova reported. According to her, those detained for damaging ballot boxes at polling stations admitted that they did it for money from abroad and did not know about criminal liability. She said that one of the detainees was promised 100 thousand rubles for this. According to Pamfilova, as a result of provocations, by the end of the second day of voting, 214 ballots were spoiled. “We are working closely with law enforcement agencies on this matter, measures are being taken immediately,” said the head of the Central Election Commission, adding that all detainees will not escape responsibility, including criminal liability.

In Moscow, according to the head of the Public Headquarters for Observing Elections, Vadim Kovalev, the majority of attacks on the online voting system came from the United States and Great Britain. But there were no disruptions in the conduct of elections in the capital. As Olga Kirillova, Chairman of the Moscow City Election Commission, reported on Saturday evening, 4,286,496 people took part in voting in the Russian presidential elections in Moscow using electronic and paper ballots (of which 3,188,462 were in the DEG, 1,098,034 were using paper ballots). This is unprecedented activity for Muscovites.

Polling stations will be open from 8:00 to 20:00. But preliminary results will begin to appear after 21:00, when voting ends in the Kaliningrad region.