MOSCOW - Voter participation in the 2024 Russian presidential election surpassed the 55% mark on the second day of polling, as reported by the country's election authority.
According to Philippines News Agency, the three-day voting process commenced on Friday, with incumbent President Vladimir Putin vying for a fifth term. Competing against him are Vladislav Davankov from the New People Party, Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal-Democrat Party of Russia, and Nikolai Kharitonov from the Communist Party. Commission head Ella Pamfilova revealed in a Moscow press briefing that over 94,000 polling stations have been set up across Russia, operating from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, alongside 295 stations in 144 countries for overseas voting.
Additionally, Russian citizens have the option to cast their votes online via the State Services portal. The Commission noted a significant turnout on the first day, with 36.12 percent of voters participating. During this period, there were reports of eight attempts to set fire to polling station buildings. Furthermore, Russian internet service providers detected a surge in DDoS attacks, predominantly originating from Ukraine and North America, targeting over 90,000 attempts against the Central Election Commission, the State Services portal, and other government websites.
The preliminary results of the election are anticipated to be announced after 9 p.m. Moscow time on Sunday.