MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. The Russian Central Election Commission is aware of the pro-Western groups’ intent to come to the voting stations at a pre-determined time in order to paint a "certain picture" for the West, Commission head Ellam Pamfilova said, adding that the Commission will response with openness, honesty and transparency.
"They [pro-Western groups] do not have that many forces, that many followers, but they need to show that there are many opponents of the regime [in Russia]; they need to show what they do, that they have gathered everyone they have, that they have re-assigned themselves to certain voting stations," Pamfilova said on Russian TV. "Somewhere, in some region of Russia, this crowd will gather around a certain station. They will invite many foreign media, either the ones accredited here, or those who cooperate with them, […] they will paint a picture of, see how many people oppose things and so on, they will disseminate it."
According to the official, the Central Election Commission will respond with "facts, transparency, openness, truth and reliability."
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.