Russian presidential elections: voting held in Kerala
text_fields
Thiruvananthapuram: Russian citizens residing in Kerala exercised their voting rights for the Russian presidential elections at a designated polling station set up at the Honorary Consulate of the Russian Federation, Russian House, in Thiruvananthapuram.
Ratheesh Nair, Honorary Consul of Russia and Director of the Russian House in Thiruvananthapuram, expressed gratitude to the Russian citizens in Kerala for their cooperation during the polling process.
"This is the third time the Consulate of the Russian Federation is hosting polling for the Russian presidential elections. This is actually for Russian nationals staying here and also for tourists. We are happy to associate with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. I am very grateful to the Russian citizens in Kerala for their cooperation and enthusiasm to cast votes in the process of electing their new president," said Ratheesh Nair.
Sergey Azurov, Senior Consul General in Chennai, emphasized the significance of providing Russian citizens living in India with the opportunity to participate in the preliminary voting for the presidential elections, reported ANI.
"We are organizing preliminary voting in the framework of presidential elections. We are here to provide an opportunity for the citizens of Russian federations living in India," stated Azurov.
Ulia, a Russian citizen, expressed gratitude to the Russian House and consulate general in India for facilitating the voting process.
"Everyone who came today is Russian citizens either residing permanently in India or are visiting tourists. Everybody is thankful and happy to come here and participate in the election, which is very important for every citizen. This is our responsibility. So, we are thankful to the Russian house and the consulate general in India from Chennai for providing this chance," said Ulia.
The presidential elections in Russia are scheduled to take place from March 15-17, with citizens voting across the 11 time zones of the country.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Russia has approved three candidates to contest against President Vladimir Putin. The candidates include Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party, and Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party.
Putin's reelection is widely anticipated, extending his rule until at least 2030, with the possibility of remaining in power until 2036 following constitutional changes in 2020.