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As it happenedended1521367518

Russia election - latest updates: Putin looks set to tighten grip on power as international turmoil continues

Follow live as polls show result is likely to put Putin in power once again

Russian election 2018: who are the candidates?

Russia has gone to the polls in a vote that Vladimir Putin is certain to win - but which could nonetheless have big ramifications for the country's future.

Mr Putin is expected to win another six years in power and is seeking a big win on an impressive turnout to give him the legitimacy and mandate for what is likely to be his fourth and final term as president.

The Russian president cast his ballot at a polling station in Moscow on Sunday morning and has said in the lead-up to the vote that "the will of the people, the will of each Russian citizen, will determine the path the country will take".

He urged Russians to "use their right to choose the future for the great Russia that we all love".

He warned that failure to cast a ballot would mean that "this decisive choice will be made without your opinion taken into account".

No campaigning is allowed on Saturday, but the Kremlin's drive to encourage turnout for Sunday continues in full force.

A Russian election monitoring group said it 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 Associated Press on Saturday the group 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 elections approach, and warned that independent observers may be targeted by some kind of "attack" on voting day. He didn't elaborate.

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 (£620,000) 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 called 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 report threats and coercion of voters to re-register at their place of work and report later that they have voted.

Yevgeny Roizman, mayor of Russia's fourth-largest city Yekaterinburg and a rare government critic, said in a recent video blog that local officials and state employees have all received orders "from higher up" to make sure the turnout is over 60 percent.

"They are using everything: schools, kindergartens, hospitals — the battle for the turnout is unprecedented," Roizman said.

Ella Pamfilova, chairwoman of the Central Election Commission who was appointed to clean up the electoral system, vowed to respond to complaints about coercion to vote.

"Leave people alone," Pamfilova said at a recent session of the commission. "No manager has the right to tell them where to vote."

Putin has traveled across Russia, pledging to raise wages, pour more funds into crumbling health care and education and 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 Crimea 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 criticised 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 boycotting the vote.

Voting starts in the Russian far east near Alaska and wraps up in the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

Additional by agencies

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There are eight candidates in Sunday's Russian presidential election, including President Vladimir Putin. 

With his approval rating topping 80 percent and rivals trailing far behind, Putin is set to easily win a fourth term. Putin's most vocal critic, the 41-year-old opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race due to a criminal conviction that he calls politically motivated. 

Here is a quick look at the candidates. 

VLADIMIR PUTIN 

The 65-year-old Russian leader served two four-year presidential terms in 2000-2008 before shifting into the prime minister's seat due to term limits. Putin continued calling the shots during the next four years as his longtime associate Dmitry Medvedev served as Russia's president. Before stepping down to let Putin reclaim the top job in 2012, Medvedev initiated constitutional changes that extended the presidential term to six years. 

A Putin victory on Sunday would put him on track to become Russia's longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin. The legal limit of two consecutive presidential terms means that Putin won't be able to run again in 2024, but many observers expect him to continue playing the top role in Russian politics even after that, possibly by abolishing term limits or shifting to another position of power. 

——— 

KSENIA SOBCHAK 

The 36-year-old star TV host casts herself as a choice for those who have grown tired of Putin and his familiar challengers and want liberal changes. The daughter of Putin's one-time patron, the late reformist mayor of St. Petersburg, she has assailed the Kremlin's policies but largely avoided personal criticism of Putin. 

Observers believe that Sobchak's involvement in the race will help combat voter apathy and boost turnout to make Putin's victory look more impressive. Some think she also could help the Kremlin counter Navalny's calls to boycott the presidential vote and could split the ranks of the liberal opposition. Sobchak has denied being in collusion with the Kremlin. 

——— 

PAVEL GRUDININ 

The 57-year-old millionaire strawberry farm director has been nominated by the Communist Party, but he's openly proud of his wealth and rejects basic Communist dogmas. 

Until 2010, Grudinin was a member of the main Kremlin party, United Russia. He has been openly critical of Russia's current political and economic system, but avoided criticizing Putin. His nomination has been seen as an attempt by the Communists to broaden the party's appeal beyond aging voters nostalgic for the Soviet Union. 

Grudinin's popularity has worried the Kremlin, and Russia's state-controlled media ran reports about his alleged Swiss bank accounts in an apparent bid to deflate that support. 

——— 

VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY 

The 71-year-old leader of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party has won notoriety for his xenophobic statements. This will be the sixth time he has run for president. While Zhirinovsky has catered to nationalist voters with his fiery populist rhetoric, he has steadfastly supported Putin, and his party in parliament has invariably voted in line with the Kremlin's wishes. He won 6 percent of the presidential vote in 2012. 

With a typical bravado, Zhirinovsky declared that he would stage the inauguration on his birthday if he wins. 

——— 

GRIGORY YAVLINSKY 

The 65-year-old liberal economic expert ran against Putin in the 2000 election, garnering about 6 percent of the vote. Yavlinsky has denounced the Kremlin's policies and frequently criticized Putin, calling for more political freedoms and a more liberal economic course. His support base is a relatively small number of middle-aged and elderly liberal-minded voters in big Russian cities. 

——— 

BORIS TITOV 

Putin's 57-year-old business ombudsman is running for president for the first time, nominated by a pro-business party. Before becoming an advocate for business, Titov had a successful career dealing in chemicals and fertilizers. His platform has focused on creating a more favorable business environment. 

——— 

SERGEI BABURIN 

The 59-year-old legal expert played a prominent role in Russian politics in the 1990s, opposing the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union and becoming one of the leaders of a parliament rebellion against President Boris Yeltsin in 1993. He spent several stints in parliament and served as a deputy speaker of the lower house in the 1990s and the 2000s. After failing to make it to parliament in 2007, he left politics and served as the rector of a Moscow university. He has been nominated for the presidential race by a fringe nationalist party. 

——— 

MAXIM SURAIKIN 

The 39-year-old has been nominated by the Communists of Russia, a fringe group that casts itself as an alternative to the main Communist Party. He was trained as an engineer and ran a small computer business. In 2014, Suraikin ran for governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, getting about 2 percent of the vote. 

Suraikin grabbed attention this week when he attacked Grudinin's representative during a TV debate, yelling "I will break your jaw, you scum!"

Andrew Griffin16 March 2018 15:45
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The father of the former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko has accused President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder, claiming that no one else in Russia would have the authority to sanction an assassination on foreign soil, writes Andy McSmith.

Andrew Griffin16 March 2018 16:00
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Andrew Griffin16 March 2018 16:07
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President Vladimir Putin has urged Russians to cast ballots in Sunday's election, which he is certain to win, saying that the vote will shape the country's future.

Mr Putin said in a televised address on Friday that “the will of the people, the will of each Russian citizen will determine the path the country will take.”

The Russian leader, whose approval ratings top 80 percent, is set to easily win another six-year term against seven challengers, but the Kremlin has been concerned about voter apathy and has sought to boost turnout to make Putin's victory as impressive as possible.

Mr Putin urged Russians to “use their right to choose the future for the great Russia that we all love.” He warned that failure to cast a ballot would mean that “this decisive choice will be made without your opinion taken into account.”

Steve Anderson16 March 2018 18:11
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Kiev to ban Russians in Ukraine from voting

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry will not allow Russian citizens in Ukraine to vote in Russia's presidential election, after Moscow decided that the vote would also be held in Crimea.

Russia seized the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and has since treated it as Russian territory despite economic sanctions from the West. As a result, polls will open in Crimea on Sunday to allow residents to vote in the Russia-wide ballot.

As part of his campaign for re-election, President Vladimir Putin visited Crimea on Tuesday and addressed a crowd of cheering supporters with a speech that emphasised Russia's claim to the territory.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Moscow had ignored a request from Kiev not to hold what the ministry described as an “illegal” election in Crimea, prompting the ban on Russians voting on Ukrainian territory.

“On Sunday March 18, 2018, the security regime for the Russian Federations's diplomatic missions on Ukrainian territory in Kiev, Kharkiv, Odessa and Lviv will not provide Russian citizens access to these buildings for voting,” Mr Avakov said.

Relations between Kiev and Moscow collapsed after the 2014 annexation and the eruption of a conflict with Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's Donbass region, which has killed more than 10,000 people.

Harriet Agerholm16 March 2018 19:36
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  ↵

Probably thanks to the fact he is going to win, Mr Putin's campaign has been generally very quiet.

Steve Anderson16 March 2018 21:54
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Welcome back to The Independent's live blog of the Russian election. 

Russian voters are gearing up for a vote on Sunday that Vladimir Putin is guaranteed to win. They are facing unusually intense pressure to vote, to grant him a convincing new mandate to pursue his nationalist strategy. Though it has not been confirmed officially, it is understood that anything less than a 70% turnout - and 70% of that vote going to Putin - will be seen as a failure by the President.  

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." He warned that failure to cast a ballot would mean that "this decisive choice will be made without your opinion taken into account." 

Adam Withnall17 March 2018 12:23
1521290115
Adam Withnall17 March 2018 12:35
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While Putin has seven challengers on the ballot, 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 elections are clean after ballot stuffing and fraud marred the last presidential election. 

This time the outcome is so certain that authorities are investing in get-out-the-vote efforts to ensure a decent turnout across the world's biggest country. A strong showing would further embolden Putin domestically and internationally. 

A Russian election monitoring group said Saturday it 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 Associated Press on Saturday the group 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 elections approach, and warned that independent observers may be targeted by some kind of "attack" on voting day. He didn't elaborate. 

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 (£620,000) 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 called 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 report threats and coercion of voters to re-register at their place of work and report later that they have voted. 

Yevgeny Roizman, mayor of Russia's fourth-largest city Yekaterinburg and a rare government critic, said in a recent video blog that local officials and state employees have all received orders "from higher up" to make sure the turnout is over 60 percent. 

"They are using everything: schools, kindergartens, hospitals — the battle for the turnout is unprecedented," Roizman said. 

Ella Pamfilova, chairwoman of the Central Election Commission who was appointed to clean up the electoral system, vowed to respond to complaints about coercion to vote. 

"Leave people alone," Pamfilova said at a recent session of the commission. "No manager has the right to tell them where to vote." 

Adam Withnall17 March 2018 12:50
1521293400

Putin has traveled across Russia, pledging to raise wages, pour more funds into crumbling health care and education and 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 Crimea 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 boycotting the vote. 

Voting starts in the Russian far east near Alaska and wraps up in the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad. 

Adam Withnall17 March 2018 13:30

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