MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. The Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) has registered on Friday singer and human rights activist Yekaterina Gordon’s authorized agents for financial issues and gave the go-ahead to open a special election account to start the signature collection.

Gordon was nominated as a candidate for the Russian presidency at a convention of the Party of Benevolent Deeds on December 23, and on December 27 she filed the documents required for her nomination with the CEC.

"To permit candidate for the Russian presidency Yekaterina Gordon to open a special election account to form the election fund," the CEC said in a statement.

The CEC also registered the authorized agents for the Party of Benevolent Deeds.

All presidential contenders open a special election account in a specified downtown branch of Sberbank. Only after that, can a candidate begin the active phase of the election campaign: collect voter signatures and stump for votes, because the production of signup lists, leaflets and any other work must be paid from the election fund. The amount of the election fund of a presidential candidate cannot exceed 400 mln rubles ($6.7mln). Non-parliamentary party candidates have to collect 100,000 voter signatures in order to be registered for the race.

The registration procedure started on December 27. The signatures and documents for registration may be submitted until December 31. The presidential election will be held on March 18, 2018.