Polling day in Russia! Putin! Putin! Putin! Tsar Putin!

[Taksama_b_l]

https://www.rt.com/news/421606-russian-presidential-elections-start/


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Russians vote in presidential election across 11 time zones
Published time: 17 Mar, 2018 23:14

A member of a local electoral commission takes part in the preparations for the upcoming presidential election at a polling station in Smolensk Region, Russia March 17, 2018 © Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters

• 227

Russians eligible to vote in the presidential elections have headed to cast their ballots, as polls first opened in the Far East regions of Kamchatka and Chukotka. Eight candidates are vying for the government’s top position.
The vote will last for a total of 22 hours, as Russians across all the country’s 11 time zones, spanning from Kamchatka and Chukotka in the East to the westernmost enclave of Kaliningrad, will be heading to polls on Sunday.

First polling stations welcomed early voters at 8:00 am local time [20:00 GMT] on Saturday in Kamchatka and Chukotka regions, followed by the island of Sakhalin an hour later.

In Moscow, the voting will start nine hours later, at 5:00 am GMT, and proceed until the polls close at 8:00 pm [17:00 GMT].

Read more
Russian presidential election: A comprehensive guide to the main candidates
First results will be announced no sooner than 9:00 pm Moscow time [18:00 GMT], after the voting ends in Kaliningrad, which is an hour behind Moscow time. RT will bring special coverage of the elections starting at that time on Sunday.

Overall, 97,000 polling stations, 400 of them located abroad, are hosting the elections. Over 108 million citizens in Russia and nearly 2 million outside are eligible to take part in the vote.

Some 30,000 Russians have already cast an early ballot vote from abroad, Russia’s Electoral Commission said. It is expected that the majority of those who live in foreign countries or happened to be outside Russia on the day of the presidential ballot will be able to vote on Sunday.

This is not the case in Ukraine, as it has barred Russian citizens from voting in the Russian diplomatic missions on its territory for what Kiev claims are “illegal” elections in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, that reunited with Russia in wake of a popular referendum in March 2014.

Otherwise, Russians will have to pick one of the eight candidates on Sunday: Pavel Grudinin (Communist Party of the Russian Federation), Vladimir Putin (independent), Ksenia Sobchak (Civil Initiative), Vladimir Zhirinovsky (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia), Sergey Baburin (All-People's Union), Maxim Suraykin (Communists of Russia), Boris Titov (Party of Growth) and Grigory Yavlinsky (Yabloko).

The elections, preliminary results of which will be announced on Monday, will determine who will serve as Russia’s president for the next six years.

 

[Ang4MohTrump]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...d2b009466bc_story.html?utm_term=.c2b5b9337b2a


Polls open in Russia as Putin eyes 4th presidential term

Two men cast their ballots at a polling station in Yelizovo, about 30 kilometers ( 19 miles) north-east from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, capital of Kamchatka Peninsula region, Russian Far East, Russia, on Sunday, March. 18, 2018. Polls have opened in Russia’s Far East for the presidential election in which Vladimir Putin seeks a 4th term. (Alexander Petpov/Associated Press)
By Nataliya Vasilyeva and Angela Charlton | AP March 17 at 5:23 PM

YEKATERINBURG, Russia — Vladimir Putin’s victory in Russia’s presidential election Sunday isn’t in doubt. The only real question is whether voters will turn out in big enough numbers to hand him a convincing mandate for his fourth term — and many Russian workers are facing intense pressure to do so.

Polls opened at 8 a.m. Sunday in Russia’s Far East regions of Chukotka and Kamchatka. Voting will conclude at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT; 2 p.m. EDT) in Kaliningrad, the Baltic exclave that is Russia’s westernmost region.

Putin is so certain of winning that authorities are investing instead in massive get-out-the-vote efforts to produce a turnout that would embolden the Russian leader both domestically and internationally.

Yevgeny Roizman, the mayor of Russia’s fourth-largest city Yekaterinburg, says local officials and state employees have all received orders “from higher up” to make sure the presidential vote turnout is over 60 percent.

“They are using everything: schools, kindergartens, hospitals — the battle for the turnout is unprecedented,” said Roizman, one of the rare opposition politicians to hold a significant elected office.

A doctor at one of the city’s hospitals told The Associated Press how one kind of voting pressure works.

The doctor, who gave her name only as Yekaterina because of fears about repercussions, said she and her co-workers were told to fill out forms detailing not only where they would cast their ballots, but giving the names and details of two “allies” whom they promise to persuade to go vote.

“It’s not something you can argue about,” she said at a cafe Saturday. “People were indignant at first, said ‘They’re violating our rights’ ... but what can you do?”

Yekaterina said she isn’t sure what she’ll do with her ballot, musing that “maybe I’ll just write ‘Putin is a moron.’” But she clearly understands that not showing up at the polling place Sunday will not only endanger her job but will reflect badly on her boss, whom she likes.

The Russian doctor said she wouldn’t go to vote if she wasn’t forced to.

“What’s the point? We already know the outcome. This is just a circus show,” she said.

The eight presidential candidates were barred from campaigning Saturday, but the message to voters was clear from billboards celebrating Russian greatness — a big theme of Putin’s leadership — and Kremlin-friendly media coverage.

Putin urged Russians on Friday to “use their right to choose the future for the great Russia that we all love.”

While Putin has seven challengers, none is a real threat. The last time he faced voters in 2012, he faced a serious opposition movement, but since then he has boosted his popularity thanks to Russian actions in Ukraine and Syria.

More than 1,500 international observers are joining thousands of Russian observers to watch the vote. The government wants to ensure that this election is clean after ballot stuffing and fraud marred the last Russian presidential election in 2012.

A Russian election monitoring group said Saturday it has registered an “alarming” rise in recent days in complaints that employers are forcing or pressuring workers to vote.

Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of the independent Golos center, told the AP on Saturday the group has also recorded smaller complaints, such as gimmicks like discounted potatoes for people who vote, or schools holding special performances on Election Day to lure parents to an onsite voting station.

He said his own group has come under increasing pressure as the election approached, and warned that independent observers may be targeted by some kind of “attack” on voting day. He didn’t elaborate.

As U.S. authorities investigate alleged Russian interference in President Donald Trump’s 2016 election, Moscow has warned of possible meddling in the Russian vote.

Turnout-boosting efforts have been the most visible feature of the campaign — and all come from taxpayers’ pockets. In Moscow alone, authorities are spending 50 million rubles ($870,000) on balloons and festive decorations at polling stations.

In Moscow, first-time voters will be given free tickets for pop concerts featuring some of Russia’s most popular artists who have campaigned for Putin. For older voters, Moscow health authorities will be offering free cancer screenings at selected polling stations.

In the southern city of Tambov, the state-sponsored Youth Parliament has backed an Instagram competition. Voters who take selfies at polling stations and post them under the designated hashtag will be able to enter a raffle for high-end electronics, including an iPhoneX.

Election observers and local media have reported threats and coercion of voters to re-register at their place of work and report later that they have voted.

Ella Pamfilova, chairwoman of the Central Election Commission who was appointed to clean up Russia’s electoral system, vowed to respond to complaints about being coerced to vote.

“No manager has the right to tell them where to vote,” she said recently

Voters in Russia’s Perm region said they were coming under pressure from their employers to vote Sunday — and to prove it. Messages were sent Friday to regional employees, warning that information about their voting habits would be submitted to management.

Putin has traveled across Russia, pledging to raise wages, pour more funds into the country’s crumbling health care and education and to modernize dilapidated infrastructure.

The presidential vote is set on the anniversary of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Polls show that most Russians continue to see the takeover of that Black Sea peninsula as a major achievement despite subsequent Western sanctions.

Among Putin’s challengers is Ksenia Sobchak, a 36-year-old TV host who has campaigned on a liberal platform and criticized Putin’s policies. Some see Sobchak, the daughter of Putin’s one-time patron, as a Kremlin project intended to add a democratic veneer to the vote and help split the ranks of Kremlin critics.

Putin’s main foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race because of a criminal conviction widely seen as politically motivated. Navalny has called for a boycott of the vote.

__

Charlton reported from Moscow.

 

[Ang4MohTrump]

Fucking 8 corner fight!

At least 5 suckers lose deposits?


Eh! CB! Kay-Loong? Why Putin is already chosen in this sample ballot? KNN! PAP learned from Russia or the reversed?

To each names of candidates they got a paragraph of brief descriptions! Seems to begin with year of birth of candidates!

 

[Ang4MohTrump]

Taiwanese papers calls TITOV the candidate #7 on the ballot a Harban Singh.

https://tw.news.yahoo.com/普亭不是-個人在戰鬥-大美女跟6個小透明陪他選總統-231407197.html

普亭不是一個人在戰鬥 大美女跟6個小透明陪他選總統

聯合新聞網
3.1k 人追蹤
聯合線上
2018年3月18日 上午7:14
俄羅斯總統大選將於18日舉行，共有8名候選人角逐總統大位，除了現任總統普亭獨立參選以外，其他候選人都由政黨推舉，分別是巴布林、格魯季寧、吉里諾夫斯基、蘇布查克、蘇拉伊金、狄托夫和雅夫林斯基。普亭幾乎篤定當選，料將掌權到2024年，其餘這七人雖然被戲稱為普亭的陪跑員，但仍然就解決國家當前困境提出政見。

陪跑員一 巴布林：懷念蘇聯時代" data-reactid="12">陪跑員一 巴布林：懷念蘇聯時代

巴布林現年59歲，是俄羅斯全民聯盟黨主席，在蘇聯時代晚期和蘇聯解體後初期是知名國會議員，近年淡出政壇。

巴布林相當懷念蘇聯時代，在政見中將四大原則「力量、自由、公正、平等」幾個字的俄文字首用紅色標示，拼起來剛好就是蘇聯的俄文縮寫。他常說，俄羅斯要汲取蘇聯經驗來改革。

陪跑員二 格魯季寧：史達林鐵粉、草莓大亨" data-reactid="15">陪跑員二 格魯季寧：史達林鐵粉、草莓大亨

格魯季寧現年57歲，代表俄羅斯共產黨參選，身價高達數百萬美元，曾在莫斯科市郊的「列寧國營農場」擔任場長。列寧國營農場是俄羅斯最大的草莓供應商，使格魯季寧獲得「草莓大亨」的稱號。他雖然擁抱資本主義，卻也是史達林的粉絲，曾在受訪時宣稱「史達林從未殺人」，違背史實。他在多份民調中，支持度穩定排名第二，最後得票數也可能位居第二。

格魯季寧主張退出世界貿易組織（WTO），並防堵國外投機資金進入俄國，還承諾照顧婦幼、發放足夠的退休金。

陪跑員三 吉里諾夫斯基：檯面上的「反對黨」主席" data-reactid="18">陪跑員三 吉里諾夫斯基：檯面上的「反對黨」主席

吉里諾夫斯基是俄羅斯自由民主黨主席，現年71歲，是俄國總統選舉的常客，已五度陪跑參選。他1989年創辦俄羅斯自由民主黨，並擔任黨主席至今。這個黨表面上是反對黨，其實支持俄國政府。

吉里諾夫斯基主張涉貪公務員應革職並沒收財產，教育和醫療免費，限制會導致肥胖和其他疾病的垃圾食物，發展農業，供應健康食品，在15年內大幅減少吸菸與飲酒人口。

吉里諾夫斯基以脾氣火爆、言詞辛辣聞名，他在電視辯論時，提議向烏克蘭總統官邸投擲小型核彈以殲滅總統波洛申科，還語出驚人說，除了他和普亭以外的候選人都是「垃圾」。

陪跑員四 蘇布查克：直接砲轟普亭的社交名媛" data-reactid="22">陪跑員四 蘇布查克：直接砲轟普亭的社交名媛

35歲的社交名媛克謝妮亞‧蘇布查克曾是電視製作人、娛樂及政論節目主持人及演員。她的父親蘇布查克是俄國憲法起草人，在蘇聯解體後擔任聖彼得堡市長，是普亭的政治導師。當她站出來反對普亭宣布參選時，立刻成為焦點話題。

蘇布查克代表公民倡議黨參選，是總統候選人中少數敢直接批評普亭的，她直言，普亭把俄國變成盜賊統治的國家。她主張俄羅斯應清除一切集權象徵，包括將列寧下葬，並立法禁止為史達林及其政治迫害脫罪。不過她也直說不會當選，決定投入2021年下議院選舉。

陪跑員五 蘇拉伊金：要做窮人的總統" data-reactid="25">陪跑員五 蘇拉伊金：要做窮人的總統

蘇拉伊金現年39歲，是「俄羅斯共產黨人黨」主席，在俄國並不出名，他領導的黨也是小黨。根據官網公布的政見，他要做窮人的總統，反抗富人，利用總統職權幫助勞動人民打贏階級鬥爭。

陪跑員六 狄托夫：普亭粉絲 來分票的友軍" data-reactid="27">陪跑員六 狄托夫：普亭粉絲 來分票的友軍

狄托夫是俄羅斯成長黨主席，現年57歲，擁護普亭，認為普亭能帶給社會穩定。

陪跑員七 雅夫林斯基：1990年代末期聲勢很高

自由派的雅夫林斯基是俄羅斯統一民主黨創辦人，現年65歲，他和他的黨在1990年代末期聲勢高漲，但如今沒沒無聞。

★ 更多追蹤報導" data-reactid="31">★ 更多追蹤報導


Puting is not alone in the battle.
[Joint News Network]
United News Network
3.1k person tracking
Joint Online
March 18, 2018 7:14 AM

The Russian presidential election will be held on the 18th. A total of 8 candidates will compete for the presidential position. In addition to the current independent election of President Putin, other candidates are elected by political parties. They are Babbling, Grudinen, and Girino. Krzyszki, Subuchak, Surajkin, Dietov, and Yavlinski. Puting is almost certain to be elected and is expected to hold power until 2024. Although the remaining seven people are jokingly referred to as Putin's runners, they still make political views on the solution to the country's current difficulties.

The runners-one: Barblin: Missing the Soviet era

Bablin, 59, is chairman of the All-Russian Federation of Russia. He was a well-known congressman in the late Soviet Union and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and has faded out of politics in recent years.

Bablin misses the Soviet era. In political views, the Russian language with the four major principles of "power, freedom, fairness, and equality" is marked with red. It is just the Soviet Union's Russian abbreviation. He often said that Russia must learn from Soviet experience to reform.

Grüninger II: Starling Iron Powder, Strawberry Tycoon

Gruhinin, 57, represents the Communist Party of Russia, and is worth millions of dollars. He once served as the head of Lenin State Farm in the suburbs of Moscow. Lenin’s state-run farm is Russia’s largest supplier of strawberries, giving Grudinen the title “Strawberry Tycoon”. Although he embraced capitalism, he was also a fan of Stalin who had declared during the interview that "Stalin never killed anyone" and violated historical facts. In many polls, he ranked second in support for stability, and the final number of votes may also be second.

Grugginen advocated withdrawing from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and preventing foreign speculative funds from entering Russia. He also promised to take care of women and children and provide enough pensions.

The runners-in-chief Gilinovsky: Chairman of the "opposition party" on the counter

Girinovski, chairman of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party, is a 71-year-old Russian regular presidential candidate who has been running for five times. He founded the Russian Liberal Democratic Party in 1989 and served as chairman of the party. This party is ostensibly an opposition party and actually supports the Russian government.

Gilinovsky advocated that corrupt officials should be dismissed and confiscate property, education and medical care free of charge, restricting junk foods that cause obesity and other diseases, developing agriculture, supplying health foods, and drastically reducing the smoking and drinking population in 15 years.

Girinovsky is known for his temper and verbal buzz. During the televised debate, he proposed to throw a small nuclear bomb at the Ukrainian presidential palace to wipe out President Poroshenko. He also said surprisingly that there are candidates other than him and Putin. It is all "garbage".

Escort runners 4 Subchak: directly bombarded Puting’s socialite

The 35-year-old socialite Keseniya Subczak was a TV producer, entertainment and political show host and actor. Her father, Subczak, a drafter of the Russian constitution, served as mayor of St. Petersburg after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and was a political instructor for Puting. When she stood up against Putin’s announcement of election, she immediately became a focus topic.

Subchak represented the citizens in advocating for party election. Among the presidential candidates, one of the few dared to directly criticize Putin. She bluntly stated that Putin turned Russia into a country dominated by thieves. She advocated that Russia should eliminate all symbolism of centralization, including burying Lenin and legislating against acquittal of Stalin and his political persecution. However, she also said that she would not be elected and decided to invest in the 2021 lower house election.

Runner V. Surajunke: To be the President of the Poor

Surajin, 39, is chairman of the "Russian Communist Party" and is not known in Russia. The party he leads is also a small party. According to the political statement published by the official website, he wants to be the president of the poor, rebel against the rich, and use the power of the president to help the working people to win the class struggle.

Pedal Runner Six Dettov: Friends of Puting Fans

Dietov, chairman of the Russia Growth Party, is 57 years old and supports Putin, and believes that Putin can bring stability to the society.

The runners 7 Jaflinski: Very high in the late 1990s

The liberal Yavlinski is the founder of the Russian United Democrats. He is 65 years old. He and his party gained momentum in the late 1990s, but they are still unknown today.

★ More follow-up reports