KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Despite the haze blanketing the Klang Valley and the laid-back Sunday morning atmosphere, Russians residing in Malaysia could be seen strolling along Jalan Ampang or taking e-hailing services to the Embassy of Russia here.
They headed to the embassy to fulfil their civic duty by casting their ballots in the State Duma (parliamentary) elections, which are being held from Sept 18 to Sept 20.
The voting process proceeded smoothly, with embassy staff taking turns registering voters and issuing ballot papers.
Two voting stations were set up for voters to mark their ballot papers before placing them in the ballot box.
Outside the embassy, a Malaysian police car was also seen keeping watch.
Among those who cast their ballots were Ambassador of Russia to Malaysia Naiyl M. Latypov and his spouse, Marina Latypova, who voted at around 11 am.
By then, nearly 100 Russian citizens had cast their ballots, and more were expected to do so before the end of the voting period.
There are about 2,000 Russians residing in Malaysia with majority in KL.
Among the voters was a teenage boy who had just turned 18 and was excited to cast his first vote.
Latypov said the Russian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur had chosen to hold the vote on Sunday from 8 am to 8 pm Malaysian time.
After voting closes, the embassy will count the ballots and send the results to Moscow.
"Kuala Lumpur is the only voting centre in Malaysia because most Russian citizens are located in the city. The voting exercise is free and open. We hope it will be successful and held in a good and calm atmosphere.
"Today, we have a special observer for the elections who was appointed by the Russian Public Chamber among Russians living in Malaysia. This election is very important for the future of our country,” he told Bernama.
Elaborating on the significance of the election, Latypov said it demonstrated that Russia is a strong and solid country and will develop very fast.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Malaysian authorities for assisting the embassy in organising the voting process, particularly the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Royal Malaysia Police, for ensuring the security and safety of Russian citizens who came to vote at the embassy.
Among the voters was a 10-member delegation from Russia’s Artek International Children’s Centre, located on the Black Sea coast, which arrived in Malaysia on Saturday and is scheduled to stay for a week.
One delegation member, Anastacia Gorokhova, 34, from Crimea, said she was excited and proud to fulfil her duty to her country while on official duty far from her homeland.
Of Russia’s population of about 143 million, in the world’s largest country by area, more than 111 million people are eligible to vote in the election, including 1.8 million registered voters living abroad.
In Russia, voting is being held online and in person, while Russians living abroad, including those in Malaysia, will vote according to arrangements at their respective overseas polling stations.
Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) reported that 333 polling stations abroad have been organised in 152 countries for Russians to elect 450 members of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported that President Vladimir Putin has called the State Duma elections an important domestic political event in the country. -- BERNAMA
