Russian citizens residing in Poland and the Baltic countries will be able to vote in the Russian parliamentary elections at specially arranged voting sections near the border points, announced the Electoral Commission on Thursday, reports AFP, cited by News.ro.
This proposal, already implemented during the Russian presidential elections in 2024, is addressed to voters living in countries where most Russian consulates have been closed in response to the large-scale offensive launched in Ukraine in February 2022. However, it is possible to vote electronically.
“Based on the experience gained in 2024, ten voting sections will be arranged especially for them, near the border crossing points”, declared the President of the Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova, quoted by TASS.
Throughout the three days of voting, from Friday to Sunday, the Electoral Commission will set up four polling stations in the Kaliningrad region, a heavily militarized Russian enclave located between Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea. Also, a special office will be set up in the Leningrad region, at the border with Estonia, and another five in the Pskov region, at the border with Estonia and Latvia.
According to the Electoral Commission, 333 polling stations have also been opened in 152 countries.
The vote for the renewal of the 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, is the first legislative election since February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Elections are also being organized in the territories of Eastern Ukraine occupied and annexed by Russia.
Russian voters and analysts expect “United Russia”, the party of President Vladimir Putin, which already holds the majority in the current Duma, to win the elections and continue to dominate the legislative body.
Details, HERE