Russians are heading to the polls today for day one of a three-day election that is all but decided before a single vote was ever cast. Vladimir Putin is expected to secure his fifth term in office. Any credible challenger has been killed, exiled, jailed, or banned. The widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny is calling for voters to turn out collectively at noon Sunday, that's the last day of voting, as a show of opposition support.
Russians can vote either for Putin or for one of three Kremlin-approved candidates. The mood in the city of Moscow today is one of subdued participation. Inside a polling station in central Moscow, voters have begun casting their ballots for one of the four candidates. However, due to the anticipated outcome of a Putin victory, there is a lack of excitement among voters. The act of voting is seen more as a duty and a display of patriotism rather than a genuine expression of choice.
