PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, March 14. /TASS/. Polling stations for voting in the Russian presidential election open in Russia’s Far Eastern regions, specifically in the easternmost Kamchatka and Chukotka regions, at 8:00 a.m. local time (8:00 p.m. GMT), the respective regional election commissions told TASS.

"The voting will be held at 200 polling stations, opened this morning in the Kamchatka Region. A total of 319 polling stations are established in the region, some of which were active during early voting. Around 43,000 people expressed their wish to cast their ballots early using the e-voting option in the Kamchatka Region," the regional election commission said.

About 8,000 Russian citizens participated in early voting in the Kamchatka Region. Over 600 observers will oversee the main voting round.

A total of 55 polling stations have been opened in the Chukotka Region, following all preparatory measures. According to the deputy chairman of the regional election commission, Arseny Paksyutin, regional commission staff underwent all necessary training. Around 3,500 people voted early in Chukotka’s remote, hard-to-reach districts.

The Russian Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, officially designated March 17, 2024 as the date of the presidential election. The 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.