Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted to the State Duma a bill establishing restrictions on preliminary voting, where those who cannot vote on election day cast their ballots early, the Kremlin press service said on Wednesday.
In his state-of-the-nation address last November Medvedev said preliminary voting on the local level should be terminated as a source of potential violations.
"Given that preliminary voting often led to violations of election rights, the bill proposes to rule out this type of polling during elections to local self-government bodies," the bill says.
Under the bill, preliminary voting may be held no earlier than 15 days before the elections in remote regions, polar stations and ships at sea.
The idea of abolishing preliminary voting was urged by A Just Russia, a quasi-opposition, essentially pro-Kremlin party, on the grounds that it caused large-scale violations, specifically ballot stuffing.
Party leader Sergei Mironov said preliminary voting was "absolutely senseless" in a situation where there is no turnout threshold and no more than 20-30% of the electorate vote at the very best.
MOSCOW, February 24 (RIA Novosti)
