LONDON, March 12. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy to the UK expects British law enforcement agencies to provide maximum security measures during voting in the Russian presidential election next Sunday, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin told TASS.
"We expect the whole March 17 to be difficult, because it will be held amid the anti-Russian hysteria that is now predominant here. We've already seen the announced protests on social networks, there will be several of them, and they will start at different times on the day of voting. There are also calls for provocative and illegal actions," the ambassador said.
"We expect the British side, the law enforcement agencies, with which we are in constant dialogue, to pay attention to ensuring the safety of voters and members of the election commission. We've received assurances from the UK Foreign Office, but we will continue to demand that the police provide maximum security measures," Kelin pointed out. He added that the embassy "is taking technical measures to protect the building where the elections will take place." They will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. [London time] in one of the embassy buildings at 6/7 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QP.
There is only one polling station in the UK this year. "The Russian Consulate General in Edinburgh will not be holding the election for security reasons: we decided not to do so because the atmosphere here is rather tense," the ambassador said. In London, however, diplomats are "doing a lot of preparation." "We're systematically preparing for the election, we've already received the ballot papers. An election commission has been set up, and we've published all the information about the elections on our websites," the ambassador emphasized.
As for voter turnout, the diplomat said it varies from year to year. "It depends on the type of election, the season, the epidemiological situation, but overall we're talking about 5,000-10,000 people. I think we'll get the same number this time," Kelin said.