MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. Deputy Chairperson of the Russian Central Election Commission Nikolai Bulayev has revealed that more than 96,000 local election commissions have started conducting the nationwide constitutional amendment vote across the country, no failures in their operation have been detected.

"More than 96,000 commissions began working. The absolute majority of them opened at 8 am, and first voters arrived. <…> We have repeatedly said and continue saying that the electoral system is fully ready to work," Bulayev said at a meeting of the working group to draft constitutional amendments Thursday.

He added that the Central Election Commission currently is not registering any failures in the voting processes. "All ballots are in place, all personal protective equipment is in place. In this regard, the commissions today are protected and offer this protective equipment to all voters," the official pointed out.

Russian citizens are asked to cast their ballots in the nationwide vote on constitutional amendments, as the vote began today, June 25. Even though the official vote day is set for July 1 by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree, citizens can take part in it throughout the week due to coronavirus precautions meant to lower the risk of transmission.

The vote was initially supposed to take place on April 22 but eventually had to be postponed amid the worsening coronavirus crisis. On June 1, Putin gave it a go-ahead at a senior meeting, setting the new date for July 1.