Putin has voted in the Russian presidential election

Vladimir PutinRussian President and Presidential candidate Vladimir Putin exits a polling booth as he prepares to cast his ballot during Russia's presidential election in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 18, 2018. Putin's victory in Russia's presidential election Sunday isn't in doubt. The only real question is whether voters will turn out in big enough numbers to hand him a convincing mandate for his fourth term — and many Russian workers are facing intense pressure to do so. (Yuri Kadobnov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has cast his vote in the Russian presidential elections, a choice that, after all, heralds his fourth term as president.

 

Nobody doubts that Putin will win the election, even though he has seven opponents.

The uncertainty relates primarily to how many Russians will stay at home because they feel that their voices don’t affect the election results either way.

Russian authorities have implemented a number of measures to raise voter participation, thus ensuring that Putin is given a strong mandate for the next six years.

Polls show that Putin has a 70% upsurge, approximately ten times as much as his closest challenger.

Already on Sunday morning, irregularities were reported at several polling stations around the country, according to the US news agency, AP.

Approximately 145,000 election observers have been deployed, among them
1,500 foreigners. There are also observers from the movement of Aleksej Navalnij,an opposition politician, and activist, who is himself not allowed to stand as a candidate.

 

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today