55% of Russians voted on constitutional amendments prior to main polling day – Election Commission

Over half of eligible Russian voters cast their ballots early or online before the main polling day, according to Ella Pamfilova, head of the country’s Central Election Commission.

“In the six days leading up the main voting day, 55.22% of voters were able to vote,” she said.

For the first time ever, the electorate was allowed to vote over a six-day period before the primary voting date of July 1. In two regions, citizens were allowed to cast their ballots online.

In Moscow, turnout in the first six days of voting amounted to 42.37%, and 59.22% in the country’s second-biggest city, Saint Petersburg. The leader in early voting turnout is the southern republic of Chechnya, where over four-fifths (84.69%) of people have already voted.

In Russia’s most remote regions, where polling has already ended, regional officials swiftly announced the final turnout results. In Chukotka, over 5,000km from Moscow, voting ended at 10pm local time (11am Moscow time). The turnout was announced as 74.11%.

 “The chairman of the Central Election Commission decided that we will display information about the results online from the moment it is received, starting from the Far East,” said Nikolay Bulaev, deputy chairman of the commission.

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