Russians vote in an election that holds little suspense
President Vladimir Putin looks set to extend his rule by six more years after he stifled dissent
Transcript
00:00 Polls have opened in Russia for a three-day presidential election that is
00:04 all but certain to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule by six more years.
00:11 Voters have until Sunday to cast their ballots in nearly 100,000 polling
00:18 stations across a Russia's 11 time zones. The elections hold little suspense since
00:24 Putin is running for his fifth term virtually unchallenged as Moscow's war
00:29 on Ukraine enters its third year. It takes place against the backdrop of a
00:37 ruthless crackdown that has crippled independent media and prominent rights
00:41 groups and given Putin full control of the political system. Putin faces no real
00:51 competition in the vote amid a clapdown on dissent in the country which has seen
00:55 opposition figures and rights groups imprisoned or exiled. The three other
01:00 candidates on the ballot are low-profile politicians from token opposition parties
01:04 that tow the Kremlin's line. Only registered candidates or state-backed
01:09 advisory bodies can assign observers to polling stations in what remains a
01:13 tightly controlled election.
01:17 you
01:19 (whooshing)