On March 18, presidential elections are due to take place in Russia, which Vladimir Putin should obviously win for the fourth time.

Elections are scheduled for March 18, the anniversary of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. In order for the elections to take place on this day, they even adopted a special law (before its adoption, the elections were supposed to take place on March 11). The law does not explicitly state the purpose of moving the election date, but it is likely to increase turnout (at least 50% turnout is required for the election to be valid) and the number of votes for Vladimir Putin, with whom Russians associate annexation.

Accordingly, the day of silence before elections, when election campaigning is prohibited, is March 17.

The results of the Russian elections must be announced no later than March 29, 2018, and officially published before April 3, 2018. The winner of the election will be the candidate who receives an absolute majority of votes (more than 50%).

If no candidate receives the required number of votes (which is unlikely), a second round will take place on April 8, 2018.

Elections, who is in the lead: VTsIOM called the awareness of Russians about the elections maximum

“Citizens’ awareness of elections remains maximum level: 92% of respondents know that voting should take place in March 2018, the awareness index is 93 points out of 100 possible,” the report notes.

Vladimir Putin remains the leader of the presidential race; 69% of respondents intend to support him. Second is Pavel Grudinin (7%), third is Vladimir Zhirinovsky (5%). The remaining candidates scored less than 5%: Ksenia Sobchak - 2%, Grigory Yavlinsky and Sergei Baburin - 1%, Maxim Suraikin and Boris Titov - 0%.

36% of respondents believe that the elections will be held fairly, another 42% admit minor violations that will not affect the outcome of the elections.

Leading sociological services in Russia presented measurements of electoral sentiment at the beginning of March, as well as a forecast for the election results. Among the candidates, the current Russian President Vladimir Putin is still leading by a large margin from the rest. Voter turnout on March 18 is projected to be in the range of 63-67%.

The declared level of turnout remains consistently high throughout election campaign. When asked whether they would take part in the vote on March 18, 74% of Russians said that they would definitely take part, another 9% said that they would “most likely” take part. 9% promise to make a decision closer to election day. About 6% of respondents do not plan to come to polling stations. This is data from a survey by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM).

According to the Foundation's survey " Public opinion"(FOM), 84.7% of citizens said they intend to come to the elections with varying degrees of confidence, of which 64.8% intend to vote “definitely”, and 19.9% ​​- “probably”. The number of refuseniks at FOM is higher than at VTsIOM: 11% do not intend to come to the polling stations. By age, the maximum number of those who answered “I will not take part in the elections” (19.8%) was among citizens 18-30 years old. For comparison: among citizens over 60 years of age, only 3.8% do not intend to vote.

Noticed a typo or error? Select the text and press Ctrl+Enter to tell us about it.

On March 18, 2018, Russian citizens will go to the polling stations and cast their votes for the most worthy candidate for supreme power in the country. Although there are still more than two months until this point, the preliminary results of the 2018 elections can be summed up now - judging by the ratings, V.V. will win an unconditional victory. Putin. The people's trust in the current president is so high that there is no doubt about it. However, a significant advantage of one candidate over the rest of the list does not at all reduce interest in the presidential race. There are good reasons for this.

Campaign Features

The 2018 election is destined to go down in history for a number of reasons. This company will be the last for the long-term leader of the state V.V. Putin and his eternal opponent V.V. Zhirinovsky. For the first time, another political heavyweight, G.A., will not take part in it. Zyuganov, who soberly assessed his strength and chances of victory.

Never before have Russian voters seen this, considering themselves worthy of ascending to the Olympus of power. More than 40 representatives of large and small parties and self-nominated candidates declared their readiness to join the presidential race. The most odious figures were eliminated at the preliminary stage. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation allowed eight people to participate in the decisive battle.

What is the ranking of candidates now?

*survey started at 13:10 03/18/2018 Moscow time

Since the campaign campaign has been going on for more than a month, it makes sense to sum up the interim results of the 2018 Russian presidential elections. To do this, it is worth analyzing the results of polls of sociologists on this moment. In order to obtain an objective assessment of the candidates’ chances, we will compare data from the FOM and VTsIOM, which work with a significant number of respondents.

The overwhelming majority of Russians have no doubt that Putin will win the 2018 elections. According to polls, up to 70 percent of the country's citizens are ready to vote for him (VTsIOM). The remaining candidates had the following rankings:

• V. Zhirinovsky - from 5.7 to 6%;
• P. Grudinin – from 5.3 to 7.5%;
• G. Yavlinsky - from 0.5 to 1.4%;
• K. Sobchak – up to 1%;
• B. Titov – up to 1%;
• S. Baburin – up to 1%;
• M. Suraikin – up to 1%.

The chances of S. Baburin and M. Suraikin winning the presidential elections in the Russian Federation were assessed at the level of statistical error.

Internet audience surveys provide slightly different results. Thus, the “People's Rating” website basetop.ru calls Grudinin the favorite in the presidential race (59%). Putin’s candidacy was supported by 15% of resource visitors, Sobchak by 7%, Zhirinovsky and Suraikin by 6% each, Baburin, Yavlinsky and Titov by 2%. The results of such voting cannot cause anything but skepticism. The views of the audience of one Internet resource may be diametrically different from the views of visitors to another. In addition, cases of cheating and rigging of voting on the Internet are not uncommon.

Dynamics of popularity of candidates

It is very interesting to analyze how the attitude of voters towards the participants in the presidential race has changed in the month and a half that has passed since the beginning of this year. Comparing data from December sociological surveys with February ratings, it is not difficult to identify certain trends.

• Preliminary results of the 2018 elections as of the end of December would indicate a victory for the incumbent president with a result of 68 to 83.8%. Some decline in V. Putin's popularity is due to the ambivalence of society towards the participation of Russian athletes in the Pyeongchang Olympics under a neutral flag. The possible increase in sanctions pressure on the country, provided for in the secret annex to the document, also had a certain impact.
• V. Zhirinovsky remained in his previous positions. The views of the constant participant in presidential elections have long been known in society. The party has its own established electorate, which always votes for the leader.
• The candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation started the year with 7.6% support, but has already lost about 0.7% of the votes of potential voters. This shouldn't be surprising. The traditional communist electorate experiences cognitive dissonance because the interests of the proletariat at the highest level will be represented by a billionaire capitalist. The scandals surrounding P. Grudinin’s undeclared funds in the accounts of foreign banks also do not contribute to the growth of popularity.
• K. Sobchak, who views participation in the presidential elections as self-PR for the future, lost about 0.5% of her rating. This is quite logical, because the main thing in the company of the odious “liberal” is shockingness. Hence the statements about Crimea, Donbass, same-sex marriage, and other things that do not find support in society. Ksenia Anatolyevna is also portrayed in a negative light by her constant attempts to please the West.
• G. Yavlinsky, resurrected from relative political oblivion, cannot yet gain the support of even part of the electorate that Yabloko once possessed. In February, as in December, no more than 1% of voters would have voted for him.
• Business Ombudsman B. Titov and the Growth Party, from which he is running for election, represent the interests of a very small part of society. The number of his supporters has practically not increased.
• M. Suraikin and S. Baburin were outsiders in the presidential race in December. Over the past period, their position in the table of ranks has not changed.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the current dynamics of the survey results below. For clarity, you can disable unnecessary responses by clicking on them under the graph.

What will be the most likely result of the 2018 presidential election? What positions will the campaign participants ultimately take?

Final forecast: Putin and everyone else

Now the most interesting stage of the struggle for the Kremlin begins. Candidates for victory in the 2018 elections in Russia will begin in-person and absentee debates, begin to advertise their election programs in every possible way, and actively meet with the electorate. It is clear that the election of V. Putin to the post of head of state is a given. However, the intrigue regarding the distribution of places from 2 to 8 will remain for a long time. All that remains is to do the thankless task of forecasting.

V. Putin will definitely win the elections. A huge number of his supporters will come to the polling stations, who do not consider it necessary to fill out sociologists’ questionnaires. Most citizens associate their hopes for a prosperous future with the name of Vladimir Vladimirovich. Many believe that the victorious president, who this time deliberately abstracted himself from political parties and movements, will devote the next six years to the fight against corruption, reforming legislation, and strengthening the economic and political power of the Russian Federation. From 60 to 80% of Russians will vote for him.

The main intrigue of these elections is whether Pavel Grudinin will be able to bypass Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky may receive 8–12% of the vote. Zhirinovsky's second will be a remarkable result of his undoubtedly brilliant political career. After the next elections, most likely, the LDPR will be led by new leaders.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation faces difficult times. Perhaps the nomination of P. Grudinin was a tactical mistake by the patriarch, who was almost ready to transfer the helm of the communist ship to other hands. The traditionally disciplined electorate will vote for the party candidate. Considering its reduction due to natural and introduced reasons, a successful outcome would be the support of 7–10% of voters. However, Grudinin himself states that he expects to receive at least 15%.

For other applicants, achieving a rating of 2% will be a huge success. Mrs. Sobchak will have to make sure that the presidential election is not a TV show, but that G. Yavlinsky is in a deep crisis Russian liberalism. B Titov and Co. are terribly far from the people, S. Baburin and M. Suraikin simply do not have the necessary political weight or serious electoral support.

It will be possible to verify the accuracy of the forecasts made very soon. Perhaps one of the candidates will make an impressive leap and refute analysts' assumptions. Well, it will be all the more interesting to watch the ups and downs of the political struggle.

It's literally a couple of minutes until the final voting point. Sites throughout Russia have already completed work. But the country is big, and there is still Kaliningrad. The count is actually in seconds. However, even after this our citizens in Europe and America will still vote.

But according to the law, 21 hours is already considered the threshold after which one can say: the elections have taken place and it’s time to sum up the results. It is from nine in the evening that it is allowed to report the results of polls conducted at polling stations exits, the so-called exit polls.

The president was elected today across 11 time zones, home to approximately 107 million voters. 97 thousand sites worked. For the first time, it was possible to vote even while away, without any absentee ballots. It was enough to submit an application in advance to the MFC or on the government services website. There are almost six million of those who voted at their place of residence.

Voting has become easier and more convenient, while ensuring that elections are fair and transparent is at a completely new level. The number of automatic complexes for processing ballot papers has been doubled. The vast majority of polling stations and all territorial election commissions are equipped with cameras.

The final protocols have QR codes, this allows you to speed up data entry and eliminate the possibility of forgery. All attention will be focused on the contents of these protocols in the next 24 hours. Counting is already underway in some regions. In others it is just beginning. Just a minute ago, polling stations in the Kaliningrad region were closed. Voting in Russia has ended.

So: the first data from exit polls are surveys that sociologists conducted at the exit from polling stations. The results, as expected, are published at 21:00 by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion.

VTsIOM surveyed 161 thousand people in 81 regions of Russia. So, according to a VTsIOM poll, Vladimir Putin is in the lead with a result of almost 74%. In second place is Pavel Grudinin, with just over 11%. Next in the top three is Vladimir Zhirinovsky, almost 7%. Ksenia Sobchak is in fourth place, with 2.5%. Grigory Yavlinsky has a little more than 1.5%. Boris Titov, Sergei Baburin and Maxim Suraikin, according to exit polls, gain about 1%.

And another study across the country was conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation. His data is as follows: 77% of respondents are in favor of Vladimir Putin. Pavel Grudinin has about 12%, Vladimir Zhirinovsky has about 6%. According to exit polls, about 2% voted for Ksenia Sobchak. The results of Grigory Yavlinsky, Boris Titov, Sergei Baburin and Maxim Suraikin are within 1%. The results are based on a survey of 112,700 people conducted in 83 regions of Russia.

According to Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Russia Nikolai Bulaev, voter turnout in Russian Federation at 17.00 Moscow time was 51.9 percent.

“The turnout will be regularly updated online, the results will be displayed on the screen of the Information Center of the Central Election Commission of Russia,” said Chairman Ella Pamfilova.

Now everyone can watch the turnout figures in real time at http://www.cikrf.ru

Presidential elections of the Russian Federation 2018. Interim results of candidates

The page shows the results of the first round of voting, which was published on the website of an independent publication. Also, who is leading in the election race for the post of President of Russia?

Rating of leaders of the second round of voting for the post of head of the Russian Federation in an unofficial source

We would like to remind you that this is just our own data from an independent information source. The real leaders in the 2018 presidential elections can be seen on the CEC website. By going to the official resource of the Central Election Commission (www.cikrf.ru), you can see the leaders of the election race and get the election results.

Preliminary results and turnout of the 2018 elections

Voter turnout

Voter turnout in the presidential elections in Russia as of 19:00 Moscow time was 59.5%. This was stated by the press service of the Central Election Commission.

“The average turnout in the presidential elections of the Russian Federation is 51.9%. Now, on the screens of the information center, turnout data will be updated once every three minutes,” the press service said in a message on Telegram.

Earlier, the Central Election Commission stated that presidential elections are being held at the highest level of openness.

During surveys conducted before voting day, about 74% of participants promised that they would definitely come to the polls, 9% were undecided on the answer. The overall turnout results confirmed the forecasts of sociologists - 64%-67% of the population in all regions of the country turned out for the elections.

For the elections, the Central Election Commission approved a budget of 17.6 billion rubles, most of which was aimed at organizing the work of precinct commissions and informing citizens about voting.

This is interesting!

The oldest Russian at the age of 122 voted in the elections

Six villages in Chukotka recorded 100% turnout for the elections. In addition, 16 settlements Chukotka showed a turnout above 90%.

The turnout in the elections at the ISS was 100 percent

Preliminary results of the presidential election

On the eve of the elections, experts Social Institute Research surveys were conducted, during which the following preferences of voters were revealed:

• for Putin – 69%;
• for Grudinin – 7%;
• for Baburin – 1%;
• for Zhirinovsky – 5%;
• Sobchak – 2%;
• Suraikin – less than 1%;
• Titov – less than 1%;
• Yavlinsky – 1%.

The survey was conducted in early March of this year. The study involved 4 thousand adult Russians. Possible statistical error is no more than 1.6%.

Election violations

Most of the incoming reports of violations during voting in the Russian presidential elections are fake; at the moment, only one report has been confirmed, Alena Bulgakova, head of the executive committee of the Observer Corps “For Clean Elections”, told RIA Novosti

According to her, so far only the report of ballot stuffing has been confirmed in the city of Artyom in the Primorsky Territory, where a group has already left together with the secretary of the regional Election Commission.

Ballot stuffing was detected at one of the polling stations in Lyubertsy, the ballot box was sealed, said Irina Konovalova, chairperson of the Moscow Regional Election Commission.

“Our federal coordinator is also on site, keeping us informed of events,” she said.

During the online marathon “Election Night,” the federal coordinator of “National Public Monitoring” Roman Kolomoytsev said that representatives from his organization also went to the polling station in Artyom.

Let us note that a video previously appeared showing ballot stuffing in Lyubertsy.

Let us remind you that eight people are vying for the post of President of Russia, who is elected on March 18: Vladimir Putin (self-nominated), Sergei Baburin (Russian People's Union party), Pavel Grudinin (Communist Party of the Russian Federation), Vladimir Zhirinovsky (LDPR), Ksenia Sobchak (Civil initiative"), Maxim Suraikin ("Communists of Russia"), Boris Titov (Growth Party), Grigory Yavlinsky ("Yabloko").