Voter turnout in 2024 Russian presidential election exceeds 55%: Electoral body

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The voter turnout in the 2024 Russian presidential election exceeded 55% on the second day of voting, the country’s Central Election Commission said on Saturday.

Three days of voting to elect the next president began on Friday, with incumbent President Vladimir Putin seeking a fifth term.

The other three candidates included the New People Party’s Vladislav Davankov, the Liberal-Democrat Party of Russia’s Leonid Slutsky and the Communist Party’s Nikolai Kharitonov.

Head of the Russian Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said at a press briefing in Moscow that more than 94,000 polling stations are opened in Russia. They work from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. local time, and 295 polling stations are working in 144 countries abroad.

Voters also have the opportunity to vote online on the State Services portal.

The first day of voting was marked by increased activity, with a voter turnout of 36.12%, according to the Central Election Commission.

The commission also reported eight incidents when miscreants tried to set fire to polling station buildings.

Internet service providers in Russia reported an increased number of DDoS attacks from Ukraine and North America, saying more than 90,000 attacks were attempted on resources of the Central Election Commission, State Services portal and other government websites.

The first results of the Russian presidential election are expected on Sunday after 09:00 p.m. Moscow time (1800GMT).