MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved a list of five parliamentary political parties that will have the right to nominate candidates for the Russian presidential election without collecting signatures.

On December 7, the Federation Council (upper house of parliament, or "senate") announced that the presidential election will take place on March 17. The decree was published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on December 8, after which the election campaign officially began. According to the CEC resolution, candidates from United Russia, the CPRF, A Just Russia - For Truth, the LDPR and the New People party are legally exempt from collecting signatures. Representatives from other parties will have to collect and submit 100,000 voter signatures to the CEC by January 31, while independent candidates will have to submit 300,000.

According to CEC member Yevgeny Shevchenko, a total of 25 political parties are entitled to nominate a candidate for the presidential election. "I would also like to inform my colleagues that in accordance with the law On the Election of the President of the Russian Federation, any election commission in the region may receive a notification of a campaign group meeting for a candidate, either in person or by e-mail. In case of receiving this notification, it is necessary to inform the CEC," he added.