Voting Concludes at Most Russian Diplomatic Missions Abroad in State Duma Elections
Dragon Media News Desk
Voting in Russia’s ninth State Duma elections has concluded at most Russian diplomatic missions abroad, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The final overseas polling station was scheduled to close at 5:00 a.m. Moscow time on September 21. With voting completed, embassy and consular personnel have moved to the next stage of the electoral process: counting ballots and preparing official records.
Polling stations were established at Russian embassies and consulates in various countries to enable Russian citizens living or travelling abroad to participate in the election. The Foreign Ministry released photographs and reports of voting activities at diplomatic missions across Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America. These included missions in India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Britain, France, the United States, Canada, South Africa and Argentina.
According to the ministry, the responsibilities of election personnel do not end when polling stations close. Officials must account for used and unused ballots, reconcile the number of ballots issued with voting records, and count the votes by hand. The figures are then checked again before formal documentation is completed in accordance with electoral procedures.
Once counting is finished, the records from overseas polling stations are submitted to Russia’s Central Election Commission. The commission is responsible for examining the submitted information and completing the prescribed procedures before announcing the official election results. The completion of voting should therefore be distinguished from the certification of final results.
The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized the work of diplomatic personnel involved in organizing voting and counting ballots abroad. According to the ministry, the electoral process at these polling stations is complete only after every ballot has been properly counted, the figures recorded and the required documentation submitted to the Central Election Commission.
