MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. International observers, who will be accredited to conduct poll watching during voting in Russia’s presidential election on March 15-17 this year, are free to travel to any of the country’s 89 regions that they wish to visit in order to monitor the election process, Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said on Wednesday.
"The CEC, for its part, guarantees the most favorable, transparent process, as well as suitable working conditions for our foreign colleagues, and they will be free to travel to any region of the country to monitor the election process," she said.
Pamfilova added that the CEC had extended invitations to observers in 95 countries for Russia’s presidential election in March.
"The Central Election Commission, which is authorized to extend invitations, has invited our partners in 95 countries, based on bilateral agreements and cooperation with national election commissions," Pamfilova said, adding that, according to a CEC forecast, "between 500 and 1,000 international observers" overall may participate in the election process.
The Federation Council, or upper house of Russia’s parliament, the Federal Assembly, formally designated March 17, 2024 as the date of the presidential election. In turn, the CEC decided that citizens will be able to cast their ballots during a three-day voting period on March 15-17, making this Russia’s first three-day presidential election.