Russia has voted in local elections in 11 regions including Crimea, Sevastopol and Kursk even after the Ukrainian occupation.
On Sunday, polling stations opened in several Russian regions for several municipal and gubernatorial elections. By-elections were held for three seats in the State Dumathe Russian lower house, as well as 16 gubernatorial elections y 13 regional parliamentary elections.
The state news network ‘Rossiya 1’ broadcast images of election officials visiting a veterans hospital in the Siberian city of Kemerovo to take votes from patients who were injured in fighting in Ukraine.
Russia holds regional and municipal elections in 83 regions. In some regions voting has taken place from September 6 to 8, in others only on September 8. By-elections to the State Duma are held in 3 regions, and direct elections to the heads of federal entities are held in 21 regions. Local parliaments are elected in 11 regions of Russia, as well as in Crimea y Sebastopol annexed, and mayors in 2 cities.
Voting was carried out without any problems.
According to the Central Electoral Commission, there have been no significant complaints that could affect the results of the election. remote electronic votingactively promoted by officials. Some 3.5 million voters from 26 regions opted for this form of voting. The Central Electoral Commission reports thousands of attacks on remote voting resources, which were supposedly blocked promptly.
The highest participation after the results of two days (September 6 and 7) of voting was recorded in the regions of Bryansk (40%), Kursk (50%), Kemerovo (60%) and the Republic of Bashkortostan (55%).
The vote in the Kursk region was not postponed due to to the Ukrainian incursion. According to the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, it was done at the request of the residents of the region. Pamfilova explained the high participation of residents as an “adequate response to the actions of bandits and mobs”.
Possible illegalities in voting
Some independent media outlets report violations recorded at polling stations in many regions:
- Money is offered to vote for a certain candidate.
- Services were discovered that record the attendance of employees of state institutions.
- Independent observers are expelled from polling stations or not allowed to enter.
- There have been cases of ballot stuffing.
Moscow votes for Duma deputies
The Moscow office of the EBU spoke with citizens about their attitude to the elections and their expectations on the third day of voting. Some people shared their concerns about the transparency of electronic voting.
“I think that electronic voting is a direct form of, as the English say, ‘rigging the elections’. That is, as Josef Stalin said, it doesn’t matter who you vote for; what matters is how the votes are counted. Electronic voting “it can’t be controlled,” says a Muscovite.
People hope that even local elections can influence peace and at the end of Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
“I would like the war to end sooner. It is the main thing for Russia and for all the Slavic people,” one man told the EBU team. Many respondents feel insecure and are worried about drones arriving in various Russian regions.
“I just arrived from Saratov, where a drone hit right in the center of the city and a woman died. How can we feel safe?” said a woman at the polling station.
“I am from Novocherkassk, it is in the Rostov region, we live practically on the border, it is not far. It is very difficult there, but It’s good in Moscow, here life is going smoothly, as if nothing were happening“another woman told our correspondent.
