MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. More than 31,000 mandates at various levels will be contested at Russia’s upcoming elections in September, with 4,400 elections to different offices and institutions being held, head of the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) Ella Pamfilova said on Wednesday.
"Overall, 4,400 electoral campaigns at all levels are scheduled for the joint election day in all 85 regions of Russia. More than 31,000 mandates will be replaced," she said.
The official clarified that Russian voters will cast their ballots for State Duma (lower house of parliament) members, while 46 regions will hold elections for Russian regional state institutions, including legislative regional elections in 39 regions and direct elections for high-ranking officials in nine regions. "These are the elections that we are having, I am not even talking about the municipal ones, they are in overwhelming majority," Pamfilova added.
She emphasized that voters will be faced with tough choices, with some of them receiving up to nine ballots to cast in different level elections.
Elections to the 8th Russian State Duma (lower house) are scheduled for September 19, 2021, known as the Single Voting Day. The balloting process will span three days - September 17, 18, and 19. In addition to the State Duma elections, voters will go to the polls to cast ballots for the heads of nine Russian regions (in another three regions local legislatures will elect top executive officials) and in elections for 39 regional parliaments.