LUHANSK, November 2 (RIA Novosti) — The Central Election Commission (CEC) of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic said Sunday it will extend the voting time by two hours at polling stations that have problems coping with the increasing stream of voters, the Commission's chief told journalists.
"We've held an emergency CEC meeting that decided that polling stations where voters will not be able to cast ballots in time, will be open until 10 p.m. [19:00 GMT]," election commission chief Sergei Kozyakov said.
He explained that the decision had been taken after many polling stations had reported a very high voter turnout, "so that everyone has a chance to vote."
As of noon, the turnout across the Luhansk region has surpassed 18 percent, with 18.51 percent of eligible voters casting ballots in the capital city.
The turnout in the region's eight major cities stands at 41.1 percent in Antratsyt, 29.15 percent in Lutuhyne, 27.37 percent in Stakhanov, 25.3 percent in Krasnodon, 22.78 percent in Alchevsk, 13.5 percent in Sverdlovsk, 12.46 percent in Krasnyi Luch, and 12.3 percent in Rovenky.
Polls are underway at 102 voting stations across Luhansk. People are voting for the regional leader and parliament, while Kiev said it will not recognize the results of this "illegal" vote.
