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Half of Russia will vote at elections of various levels on the single vote day on September 8

The first polling stations opened in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (region), which is electing a governor, at midnight Moscow time
Photo ITAR-TASS / Alexandra Krasnova
Photo ITAR-TASS / Alexandra Krasnova

MOSCOW, September 8 (Itar-Tass) - A single vote day will be held in Russia on Sunday, September 8. The first polling stations opened in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (region), which is electing a governor, at midnight Moscow time.

According to the Russian Central Electoral Commission, about 7,000 elections of various levels will take place in 80 out of 83 Russian regions and territories.

Moscow is going to elect a mayor for the first time in the past ten years. The residents of the Moscow region, the Republic of Khakassia, the Trans-Baikal and Khabarovsk territories, the Vladimir and Magadan regions as well as the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (region), the most northeasterly region of Russia, will elect their governors. The heads of the North Caucasus republics of Ingushetia and Dagestan will be elected by the parliaments of those republics.

Sixteen Russian regions and territories are going to elect regional parliaments. They include the republics of Bashkortostan, Buryatia, Kalmykia, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Khakassia, the Chechen Republic in the Caucasus, the Trans-Baikal territory, the Arkhangelsk, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Rostov, Smolensk, Ulyanovsk and the Yaroslavl regions. Besides, eight administrative centers are going to elect mayors and 12 capital cities will elect deputies of city legislatures.

The heads of two major constituent entities, Moscow and the Moscow region, will be elected simultaneously for the first time. An unprecedented number of parties will take part in elections also for the first time.

New rules of forming the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russian parliament, will be tested for the first time this year. Three candidates will run for the office of regional governors. He who wins will be delegated to the Federation Council. Local legislative assemblies that are to be elected on Sunday will also send one deputy to the Federation Council.

Fifty-four parties officially registered in Russia have nominated their candidates for elections of various levels against 26 nominees who joined the election campaigns last year shortly after Russian laws on political parties had been liberalized.

Some more figures: 53,500 voters will be able to take part in elections to bodies of state power and local self-government bodies. More than 106,000 candidates will run for more than 41,600 mandates. Elections will take place at 46,000 polling stations, which is half of all polling stations set up in the territory of Russia.