Russia's 8th presidential election begins

Russia's eighth presidential election begins Friday and will continue until Sunday, reported Xinhua.

Four candidates are registered for the election, namely incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov from Russia's New People Party, and Nikolai Kharitonov, the Russian Communist Party's candidate.

Early voting for the presidential election began on Feb. 25 when voters in remote, hard-to-reach areas, polar regions, overseas vessels, and border outposts cast their votes. Russian citizens living abroad started their early voting on March 1.

Under Russia's presidential election law, the president, who serves as the head of state, is elected directly by the populace for a six-year term. Eligible presidential candidates must be Russian Federation citizens who are at least 35 years old, have resided in Russia for more than 25 years, and have never held citizenship of another country.

According to the rules, a candidate who secures more than half of the votes will be elected president. If no candidate achieves a majority and there are more than two candidates, a second round of voting will be held between the two candidates with the most votes, and the winner of this round will be elected.

The counting of votes will begin once the election concludes and will continue until the results are finalized. The final results will be confirmed no later than March 28 by Russia's Central Election Commission and will be announced within three days of confirmation.