Four Polling Places to Operate in Japan on Russian Election Day - Ambassador

"The polling places created in the [Russian] Embassy [in Tokyo], and Russian Consulates General in Osaka, Sapporo and Niigata have done a lot of work and will further provide Russian citizens in Japan with the opportunity to cast their ballot on March 18. The polling places will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. [local time in each of Russia's 11 time zones] and every Russian national will be able to vote after showing either their domestic or foreign passports," Galuzin said.

The ambassador noted that early voting had already taken place in the cities of Tsukuba, Munakata and Toyama. In addition, early voting will be organized on Saturday in the city of Hakodate.

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There are eight candidates running for Russian president this year: Sergey Baburin from the All-People's Union party, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, incumbent President Vladimir Putin, Civil Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak, Communists of Russia party chairman Maxim Suraykin, Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs’ Rights Boris Titov, co-founder of the Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinsky, and head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky.