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Russia observes pre-election silence day on Saturday

Political parties will be able “to break the vow of silence” only after the last polling station has closed on Sunday at 21:00 Moscow time
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, December 3 (Itar-Tass) — Russia on Saturday observes the pre-election silence day. In accordance with the law on the State Duma elections on the last day before the voting any electioneering activity or rallies are prohibited. This rule exists in many countries of the world to let the voters make their choice without any last-minute pressures. Election adds put up earlier are allowed to stay in place, on the condition, though, they are no less than 50 meters away from the polling stations.

The electioneering moratorium took effect at midnight local time. Strictly speaking, it will last longer than 24 hours, because the ban on campaigning will be effective on the polling day, December 4, too. Political parties will be able “to break the vow of silence” only after the last polling station has closed on Sunday at 21:00 Moscow time.

The day of silence does not apply to the election commissions of different levels. Their representatives will have the right to keep calling on the voters to participate in the elections and explain legislative nuances and rules of voting.

As she looked back on the just-ended election campaign, CEC member Maya Grishina told Itar-Tass there had been no global violations. She said that by and large the political parties were law-abiding.

“The election campaign acquired some new traits by virtue of the free exchange of opinion on the Internet,” she said. The CEC is certain that all political parties participating in the Duma elections had received enough time on the air and newspaper space to put across their election platforms.

Taking part in the elections of the sixth State Duma are all of the seven registered political parties. The number of registered candidates in their federal lists is about three thousand people. Each of the 450 seats in the State Duma is contested by seven candidates on the average. This time the legislators’ tenure of office has been extended to five years.

Alongside State Duma members 27 territories of the Russian federation will be electing members of local legislatures. In all there will be about 2,800 various elections and local referendums.