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Russian presidential election held without incidents in Syria

The voter turnout is higher than during the Russian parliamentary polls in 2016, according to the Russian Embassy in Syria

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. The voting in the Russian presidential election was held calmly in Syria and the voter turnout is higher than during the Russian parliamentary polls in 2016, the Russian Embassy in the Arab Republic said.

"The voting was held surprisingly calmly, which is unusual for the Syrian region," a spokesman said. "The voter turnout was higher than during the parliamentary election. This is clear as voters usually show higher interest in the presidential election."

"No incidents have occurred here," the spokesman said.

The Embassy gave no exact figures on the voter turnout, but noted that several hundred people cast their votes in Damascus.

The voting in the Russian presidential election was held at a ballot station in the Embassy in Damascus on Friday. Latakia and Homs held early voting on March 10. The voting was also held at the Russian military base in Hmeymim.

Nearly 394 ballot stations in 144 countries have been set up for the Russian presidential election, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Eight candidates are running for the highest office in the Russian Federation.

Among them are: incumbent President Vladimir Putin; Pavel Grudinin, director of the Lenin State Farm (nominated by the Communist Party of Russia); TV personality and socialite Ksenia Sobchak (nominated by Civil Initiative); Sergey Baburin, head of the Russian People’s Union party; Maxim Suraikin, chairman of the Central Committee of the Communists of Russia party; Boris Titov, chairman of the Party of Growth and Russian Presidential Envoy for Entrepreneurs’ Rights; Grigory Yavlinsky, head of the Yabloko Party’s federal political committee; Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR).