MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. All work at polling stations at the Russian presidential election is proceeding according to the plan and in an organized manner, Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and head of the observer mission has said.
"The work is going on according to plan. It is organized," he said at a meeting with the co-chairman of the election headquarters of presidential candidate and incumbent head of state Vladimir Putin, actor Vladimir Mashkov.
Zhang said his group had already visited three polling stations and talked to voters and election commission members.
"My task is to notice shortcomings, but to be honest, so far I haven't noticed any issues or problems," he added.
Zhang asked whether the headquarters experienced any interference or, on the contrary, enjoyed preferential treatment.
"Conversations with voters were very frank and sincere. There was never any pressure or misunderstanding between us," Mashkov replied.
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 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.