MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/. Currently, every Russian citizen has an opportunity to clearly express his will through an electoral process, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his address on the occasion of the Central Election Commission (CEC)’s 30th anniversary.

"I want to congratulate the current staff of the Central Election Commission, its leadership and, of course, all those, who are working or worked in the previous years in this highly important state body," he said, adding that over the past 30 years, the Russian electoral system has come a long way. "It is constantly improving, using the latest technical achievements and the best world practices, harmoniously combining tradition and innovation."

"Today, every citizen has everything necessary to freely express his or her will at the elections, do it at the official place of residence or wherever one might be, at a polling station or at home, on the day when it is most convenient, since there is an opportunity to vote within a period of several days," the Russian president added.

The president thanked Russian election officials for the well-calibrated organization of the electoral process.

"You are absolutely independent in your work, since there is no higher authority in this field. You make all decisions on your own, publicly and collectively, and guided only by the law and the principles of openness, transparency and utmost responsibility. Voters’ trust in election results depends on your professionalism, impartiality and transparency of your organisation. You do everything in your power to make sure that elections are held honestly and legitimately, in strict compliance with the law," Putin said.

The president noted that digital solutions, which make participation in elections comfortable and accessible, have been actively implemented in recent years.

"A unique, second-to-none video surveillance system has been installed at polling stations," he said. "Modern technological tools that allow for automatic processing of the votes are being used, and remote e-voting is available in many constituent entities of the Russian Federation."

Russia’s supreme election authority, the Central Election Commission, was founded on September 24, 1993, through a decree issued by then President Boris Yeltsin.