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Electronic voting systems to be installed at polling stations in Russia by 2016

According to Churov, no additional funding will be needed for modernisation

ST. PETERSBURG, August 20 (Itar-Tass) — All polling stations in Russia will be provided with electronic voting systems by the end of 2015, Central Election Commission Chairman Vladimir Churov said.

After all of the 96,000 polling stations have been provided with the necessary equipment, it will be tested nationwide to ensure that it can be used in the upcoming elections in 2016. “These will be the first such elections in Russia,” Churov said after signing a memorandum of understanding and cooperation between the Russian Central Election Commission and the Philippines’ Commission on Elections on Monday, August 20.

Churov said that about 10 percent of polling stations have electronic voting systems in Russia. According to the plan, about a quarter of all polling stations have to be provided with such systems next year and more than 60 percent in 2014 so that the programme could be implemented by 2016.

About a third of polling stations will use electronic voting systems in the upcoming elections on October 14, 2012.

According to Churov, no additional funding will be needed for modernisation. “We will do it with the money that was provided under the modernisation programme,” he said.

He also added that despite inflation the price of electronic voting systems has dropped since 2003.

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