Day One of Russia's 2024 Presidential Race

The Russian Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, originally scheduled the election for March 17, 2024. However, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) extended the voting period to include two additional days. This decision was made to ensure that all citizens have ample opportunity to cast their vote for the candidate of their choosing.

This year’s election also ushers in such technical innovations as E-voting and ballots with QR codes. According to the CEC, these features will make the voting process more convenient and transparent.

As in previous years, there are election observers (both Russian citizens and international experts) at polling stations throughout the country, who are monitoring the voting process.

Explore Sputnik's gallery to get a closer look at a wide variety of polling stations!

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov casts his ballot in the country's presidential race.

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A live digital wall is installed at the Information Center of the CEC to monitor the voting process.

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Officials from the local election commission were present at a polling station in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on the far eastern Sakhalin Island.

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A serviceman from Russia's Pacific Fleet casting his ballot at a polling station in Vladivostok.

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Citizens registering to vote at a Mariupol polling station named in honor of Alexander Bobrov, a Hero of Russia.

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A woman cast her ballot for the President of Russia at a polling station set up at Novosibirsk State University.

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A man casts his vote at a polling station in Vladivostok.

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A voter casts her ballot at a Moscow polling precinct.

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Local election commission members receive a list of voters prior to the polling station being open in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

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Members of a local election commission register voters at one of the electoral precincts in Moscow.

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A man votes in Russia's presidential election in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.

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An election commission official at a Moscow polling station.

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