Campaign silence ahead of Russia’s election

Advertising, forecasts and opinion polls have finished – now Russian voters must decide who they’ll vote for in Sunday parliamentary election. 24 hours of campaign silence began Friday at midnight Moscow time. 11 parties are vying for 450 State Duma seats.All news services in Russia are prohibited from broadcasting or publishing any campaign messages, forecasts, or opinion polls to ensure unbiased voting the next day.

Meanwhile, everything is set for Sunday’s election with the first polling booths opening at 8 am in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka and Chukotka regions. The election will spread across 11 time zones in Russia.

Exit poll results will only be made public after the last ballot is cast in Russia’s west.