MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) will hold an exit poll during the Russian presidential elections and will publish its outcome late on the evening of March 17, the Center announced on its website.
"Under the Russian law, publication of the outcome would be possible only after the last voting station is closed. The VCIOM will publish the exit poll data at 21:01 Moscow Time on March 17," the Center said, adding that the information will be published both on its website and Telegram channel.
The exit poll was ordered by the Social Research Expert Institute (EISI). It will take place at 1,400 voting stations in 69 regions of Russia. It will not take place in the new regions due to security concerns.
The voters will be offered to either pass an anonymous poll on tablets or to fill in a questionnaire page and to drop it off in a special closed box.
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.