The presidential election in Russia kicked off in Crimea today with a festive mood. Polling stations opened their doors at exactly 8:00 AM, welcoming early morning voters. This year, the voting process will span over three days.

Seven international observers from Serbia, Indonesia, India, Ghana, and Slovakia are closely monitoring the election. They visited the public headquarters of the Republic of Crimea to oversee the progress of the election campaign and the voting process.

The headquarters, equipped with monitors broadcasting data from video cameras installed at all polling stations in the region, is the nerve center of the election. Observers are also directly and locally monitoring the situation in UIKah. Remote voting is under the supervision of specially trained personnel.

The headquarters clarified that its role is to ensure the observance of the electoral rights of Russian citizens, without intervening in the elections.

The foreign observers, Matush Alex and Jan Brnyak from Slovakia, Adri Arlan Sinaga and Yeyen Rostiyani from Indonesia, Ahmed Bening from Ghana, Purnima Anand from India, and Milos Banjur from Serbia, visited eight polling stations in the republic.

They unanimously evaluated the vote in the presidential elections in Crimea as “transparent, well-organized, democratic free elections.”

Most foreign guests were struck by the fact that voters come to the polls with smiles on their faces, reflecting a festive mood. They also noted the availability of voting, as there are several ways for voters to express their opinion: to come to the site in person, to vote during electronic voting, or to vote at home.