Russian presidential poll registers over 50 pc turnout

Russian presidential poll registers over 50 pc turnout
DADAN UPADHYAY

MOSCOW, MARCH 26: As the turnout from Russia's 89 regions, spread over 11 time zones, began to trickle in, at Central Election Commission's federal information centre, Commission head Alexander Veshnyakov told state-run television station ORT that initial figures indicated that the turnout would cross the 50 per cent threshold required to validate the poll.

A good turnout is likely to help Russia's Acting President Vladimir Putin achieve a 50 per cent majority, thus avoiding the need for a second round of voting.

First preliminary results were expected midnight shortly after all voting will be closed.

The ballot covers 94,500 polling stations from Kamchatka in the east to Kaliningrad in the west, near the Polish border.

So diverse are the time zones that when the voting was almost coming to close in the Far East on Sunday, the voters in Moscow just started queuing up at polling stations, to cast their ballots.

Election officials said the turnout in the Far East was about 60 per cent, slightly higher than for last December's parliamentary elections.

Talking to mediapersons after casting his ballot at polling station no. 26, in Moscow's Gagarinsky district, Putin said he was confident of his victory.

``One must always have confidence, otherwise there is no point in participating in an election campaign.''

Answering a question from correspondents, as to what he will do today, Putin said, he was heading outside of Moscow for a `banya', the traditional Russian bathhouse.

He added that after a quiet, restful day, he would return to the city, to go to bed even before the final results were in. ``Monday is a difficult day,'' he pointed out.

But Communist leader Gennady Zyugunov, a distant second in the opinion polls, said that the presidential election will not end on Sunday.

``I think, there will be a second round,'' he said, after casting vote at a polling station in Moscow's Tverskoi district. He added that ``two candidates will go through a second round -- Zyuganov and Putin.''

Liberal Yabloko candidate, Grigory Yavlinsky expressed confidence that a second round will definitely be held.

Former President Boris Yeltsin refused to tell journalists whom he voted for. ``I think you can guess for whom I have cast my ballot,'' he said apparently indirectly referring to his protege Putin after casting his vote at Moscow's Krilatskoye polling station along with his Naina Yeltsina.

He said, he was ``in good mood and good health.''

Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev expressed hope today that presidential election would be held smoothly in the breakaway republic of Chechnya.

Meanwhile, Russia has already closed Chechnya for traffic to prevent attacks from terrorists to disrupt the election.

About 4,50,000 Chechens are eligible to exercise their franchise.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the unified military headquarters denied media reports that terrorists had captured the town of Nozhai-Yurt in southern Chechnya.