Sputnik - On March 18, almost 111 million Russian citizens will choose the country's president for the next six years. Sputnik is keeping its eagle eyes trained on the process.




Russian nationals are electing the country's head of state among eight contenders:

Sergei Baburin from the All-People's Union party; Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin; incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin; Civil Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak; Communists of Russia party chairman Maxim Suraykin; Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs' Rights Boris Titov; co-founder of the Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinsky, and head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

The polling stations will work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in every Russian region in accordance with the time zones. The number of eligible voters in Russia equals 108.9 million people as of January 1, 2018, while abroad the number exceeds 1.87 million people.

The results of the vote will be announced March 19.

Follow our unique Sputnik election infographic for the latest updates in the 2018 Russian presidential election.