Russia sets up polling centres for its citizens in India for Duma elections
Sep 18, 2021
New Delhi [India] September 18 : Russia has set up election centres in India to enable its citizens to cast their vote for the Duma election.
Precinct election commissions have been formed, including in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, and are ready to receive Russian voters, a Russian embassy official said.
"In some countries, early voting has been offered in areas with a high concentration of our compatriots, including in India at Goa, Auroville, Trivandrum, Visakhapatnam, Rishikesh and even at the Kudankulam construction site where Russian specialists are working," the official added.
As many as 348 polling stations in 144 countries have been prepared for Russian citizens who are permanently or temporarily based abroad.
"As of September 15, 2021, 26,339 of our compatriots had already voted in 42 countries, including around 130 in India," the official said.
The Russian foreign missions and consular offices are fully geared up to hold the election to State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly, which is being conducted from September 17 to 19.
"In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are taking all the necessary precautions to keep voters and election commission members safe from contracting the virus. All the sanitary protocols and rules set forth under local law will be complied with," the official said.
"Our main job is to ensure that Russian nationals abroad can vote freely and safely. We have invited all our compatriots to exercise their constitutional right," he added.
