Russia prepares for high-security presidential elections

Sâmbătă, 1 martie 2008, 15:56 English | Regional Europe

For the March 2 presidential elections, Russian authorities have taken extended security measures as compared to parliamentary elections in December last year. Some 25,000 police, soldiers and special troops are deployed in Moscow alone - 3,000 more than at the general elections.

Central Electoral Office head Vladimir Churov says the only possible thing to overshadow the poll is time. Starting 28 February, guards have been deployed to all 96,301 polling stations and further security checks were scheduled for Saturday.

A total of 450,000 troops and police officers have been mobilized for the elections throughout the country.

Churov said he expected a voters turnout of 67-72% on Sunday.