Russian voters will cast their ballots on Sunday to choose a successor to the incumbent president Vladimir Putin, who is stepping down after eight years in office, as prescribed by the constitution.
The following is some questions and answers on the election.
---Who is Putin's most likely successor?
Dmitry Medvedev, a former law professor who has Putin's public backing and was nominated by United Russia, the biggest party in the parliament. He is currently the first deputy prime minister and is expected to win an overwhelming victory.
Latest pre-election opinion poll shows Medvedev could win up to70 percent of the vote.
Medvedev has pledged to follow Putin's set strategies and policies and invited Putin to become his prime minister if elected.
---Who is standing against Medvedev?
Three other candidates are also running for the presidency. They are Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Andrei Bogdanov, who is an independent candidate and leader of the Democratic Party.
Latest opinion polls published by Russian media indicated that Zyuganov is expected to take the second place in the race with some 15 percent of votes, while Zhirinovsky, some 10 percent and Bogdanov, about 1 percent.
---What are the rules?
To win the election, a presidential candidate must get more than 50 percent of the total vote.
If no candidate secures an absolute majority in the first-round ballot on Sunday, the two front runners will take a run-off 21 days later.
---When will the new president take his post?
The new president will be inaugurated on May 7, 2008.
---Are there international observers who will monitor the polling?
Yes. The election administration, Central Election Commission, has accredited as of Saturday 230 observers representing 19 international and foreign organizations to monitor the election. Another some 100 diplomats will also monitor the election.
Source:Xinhua
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