Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the public to vote in the elections that will begin on March 15, overshadowed by allegations of fraud and manipulation.

“Only you, the citizens of Russia, determine the fate of the fatherland,” Mr Putin said in a speech broadcast on state television with excerpts quoted by Russian media earlier on Thursday morning.

Russians are due to head to the polls for a presidential election that will conclude on Sunday, with Putin seeking a further six-year term.

His re-election is seen as a foregone conclusion without any serious challenger, but the authorities do their utmost to present the poll as convincing.

Three rival candidates, who either openly support Mr Putin or follow the Kremlin’s line, are seen as having no chance, according to a pro-government pollster’s survey of eligible voters earlier this week.

“The elections are a step into the future,” said Mr Putin.

He also briefly mentioned the war on Ukraine, which he launched in February 2022, praising Russian soldiers for their “courage and heroism.”

Mr Putin also mentioned the elections being held in territories of Ukraine illegally annexed by Moscow during the war.

These votes, organised by Moscow in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson regions, as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, are illegal under international law and are not recognised internationally as elections.

Russians vote in presidential elections from March 15 to 17 and are widely expected to secure Putin his fifth term in office.

Kremlin opponents are calling for the result not to be recognised as the polls do not meet democratic standards, with independent observers noting cases of fraud and manipulation.

The central election commission did not authorise any opposing candidates to run in the election and others are in prison or have fled abroad, meaning Putin has no serious opposition.

Just last month, dissident Alexei Navalny, a well-known Kremlin opponent whom the government long persecuted, died in prison. His death was blamed by many in Russia and abroad on the authorities.

(dpa/NAN)