Millions of Russians went to the polls on Sunday to vote in regional elections on United Voting Day.
Polls opened on Sunday morning for more than 24 million Russians to vote in the elections to local authorities held in 74 out of 83 Russian regions.
Residents in the Russian easternmost Chukotka region, the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area in West Siberia, the Orenburg region in the south Urals, the Kirov region in the northeast of European Russia, the Nizhny Novgorod region in the Volga area, the Tambov and Kursk regions in western Russia, the Tver region in central Russia, the republic of Komi in the Urals, the republics of Adygea and Dagestan in the south and the country's westernmost Kaliningrad region are electing regional legislatures.
Russian billionaire and FC Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is running as an independent candidate for the Chukotka regional legislature. He was governor of Russia's easternmost region from 2001 to 2008 and is currently chairman of the Chukotka Duma. If elected, he may again become head of the regional legislature.
The pro-Kremlin United Russia party, the opposition A Just Russia party, Liberal Democrats and Communists, all of which have factions in Russia's lower house of parliaments, are participating in the parliamentary elections in all the 12 regions.
These partiers are also joined by the Patriots of Russia party in the Khanty-Mansi autonomous area, Dagestan, the Republic of Komi, the Kaliningrad, Kursk and Orenburg regions, by the Yabloko opposition party in the Kaliningrad and Kursk regions and by the Right Cause liberal party in Dagestan.
The residents of ten regional capitals - Khanty-Mansiisk, Syktyvkar, Kaliningrad, Petrozavodsk, Perm, Kemerovo, Saratov, Vladimir, Oryol and Stavropol are electing town councils.
Overall, about 3,200 local elections are being held in Russia on United Voting Day on Sunday.
MOSCOW, March 13 (RIA Novosti)
