MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. Around 333,600 poll watchers, including more than 700 international observers from 106 countries, are present at polling stations across Russia as voting in the country’s presidential election proceeds on the first of three designated voting days, Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said.

"So far, 333,599 observers have been admitted to the pool of election monitors, based on the information we have received from the regions," Pamfilova said.

According to materials presented at a CEC meeting, more than 700 international observers from 106 countries have been accredited to monitor the voting process at polling stations across the country’s 89 regions and 11 time zones.

Of the total number, more than 126,000 monitors have been appointed by the candidates themselves and their authorized campaign agents, while over 51,000 observers have been fielded by political parties, Pamfilova said. More than 156,000 observers will monitor the election on behalf of civic chambers, she added. Meanwhile, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) have dispatched observers to polling stations in 10 foreign countries.

Four candidates are running in the election on March 15-17, 2024, 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.