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Experts from 12 countries to monitor elections in 11 Russian constituent regions

Elections of various levels will be held in 82 out of Russia’s 85 constituent regions on Sunday

MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. Experts from 12 countries, who have been invited by the National Public Monitoring association, will monitor regional and municipal elections to be held in Russia on Sunday, September 10, the single election day.

According to the association, 27 international experts from the United States, Italy, France, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria, Belgium, Sweden, Holland and South Korea will visit Russia’s Yaroslavl, Kaliningrad, Kirov, Leningrad, Tomsk and Ryazan regions, the Perm Territory, the Republics of Karelia and Crimea, and Moscow and the Moscow region.

Elections of various levels will be held in 82 out of Russia’s 85 constituent regions on Sunday. A total of 36,700 seats are to be vied at the elections across the country. Apart from that, as many as 230 local referendums will be organized on the same day. In all, 42 parties and six public associations are taking part in the elections. As many as 46 million people, or about a half of Russia’s eligible electorate, are expected to cast their votes.

Sixteen constituent regions will elect their heads. These are the republics of Buryatia, Mari El, Karelia, Mordovia and Udmurtia, the Perm Territory, the Belgorod, Kaliningrad, Kirov, Novgorod, Ryazan, Saratov, Sverdlovsk, Tomsk and Yaroslavl regions, and the city of Sevastopol, which will elect its head in a direct vote for the first time. Elections to local legislatures will be held in the Republics of North Ossetia and Udmurtia, the Krasnodar Territory, the Penza, Saratov and Sakhalin regions.

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