MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. The overseeing mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is made up of 194 people who will observe Russia's presidential election, the mission's head Ilkhom Nematov said during a meeting with New People party nominee Vladislav Davankov.

"Our mission consists of 200 people, 194 to be exact," Nematov said.

He emphasized that the mission’s work is widely covered in the media. "This time, the mission’s work is covered in quite an extensive way. <…> We received responses from Kherson and Lugansk. They are happy to tell people about our meetings and the content of our conversations," he said.

The Russian Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, officially designated March 17, 2024 as the day of the presidential election. The Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) then announced that voting will take place over three days on March 15-17. Four candidates will vie for the top office, namely New People party nominee Vladislav Davankov; self-nominated candidate and incumbent President Vladimir Putin; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) nominee Leonid Slutsky; and Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) nominee Nikolay Kharitonov.