SIMFEROPOL, September 14 (RIA Novosti) -First parliamentary elections begin in Crimea after its reunification with Russia, all polling stations are open, acting head of the republic, Sergei Aksyonov, said Sunday.
"All the stations are 100 per cent open, safety is fully secured. Commissions are working as scheduled," Aksyonov told journalists. He noted, that after the elections no one will speculate on the possibility of Crimea somehow going back to Ukraine. "The decision [on reuniting with Russia] is final and not subject to appeal. A new page is being turned in our history," Aksyonov added.
On Sunday, the citizens of the two new Russian regions of Crimea and Sevastopol are electing their parliaments and all the local authorities. September 14 is the single all-Russian voting day. On this day Russia witnesses about 6,000 local elections of different levels, including the elections of 30 out of 85 heads of Russian regions and 14 regional parliaments.
Crimea cut ties with Ukraine and reunited with Russia on March 16 as its Russian-speaking population refused to recognize the new coup-imposed authorities in Kiev. The move was preceded by a referendum, in which the reunification with Moscow was backed by over 96 percent of voters.
