Russians head to polls on first day of presidential election

Russian voters headed to the polls on Friday as a three-day presidential election kicked off.
Voting began in the country when polling stations opened in the Russian far east.
The election in the country that stretches across 11 time zones will last until Sunday evening, when the last polling stations close in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea.
Russians also can vote online - the first time the option has been used in a presidential contest; more than 200,000 people in Moscow voted online soon after the polls opened, authorities said.
Four candidates will vie for the top position: Vladimir Putin, the incumbent president and an independent candidate, Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Nikolai Kharitonov of the Russian Communist Party, and Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party.
According to data released by the Russian Central Election Commission, about 110 million Russian citizens are eligible to vote, including more than 1.8 million living abroad.
Under Russian presidential election regulations, a candidate who receives more than 50% of the votes will secure victory. In cases where there are more than two candidates and no one attains 50% of the votes, the Central Election Commission will declare a second round of voting for the top two contenders. The candidate with the highest votes in the second round will be elected president.
The Russian Central Election Commission will confirm the election results no later than March 28 and subsequently announce the outcomes within three days of confirmation.