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Russian presidential elections to be held on March 18, 2018

Earlier in the day, Russia’s Ministry of Labor announced the updated schedule of holidays in 2018

© Vladimir Smirnov/TASS

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Elections of Russian president will take place on March 18, 2018, secretary of the Russian Central Elections Commission (CEC) Maya Grishina told TASS on Monday, commenting on the labor ministry’s schedule of holidays for the next year.

Earlier in the day, Russia’s Ministry of Labor announced the updated schedule of holidays in 2018. Under the schedule, Russians will have four days off from March 8 to 11.

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"The week from March 5 to 11 includes one holiday, hence presidential elections will be held on the following Sunday. So, we say it officially that the elections will be organized on March 18," Grishina said.

Under the Russia law, presidential elections are appointed by the Federation Council upper parliament house within 100 to 90 days ahead of the voting day, which is the second Sunday of the month of the previous presidential elections, i.e. March. Before this summer, the law provided that in case the voting day falls on a non-working holiday or a day following it or in case this Sunday is a working day, elections are to be appointed on the preceding Sunday. Thus, in 2012, when the second Sunday of March was a working day, the voting took place on the first Sunday of the month, March 4.

However, the election law was amended this year to appoint elections in the above-mentioned cases on the following Sunday. So, based on the schedule of holidays for 2018, presidential polls in 2018 are to be held on March 18, the Day of Crimea’s Reunification with Russia.

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