President Gennadiy Artamova and his closest challenger, the Progressives’ Marina Yanaka, have voted in the presidential election. The leading challengers took to their home states of Buratiyan and Béspura respectively this morning to cast their ballot in an election where the President is expected to win an historic second term as the country’s top politician. Yanaka, who was born in the swing state of Béspura is confident that the state will turn blue for the Progressive Centrist ticket, but it is not expected to be enough to win her the election.
Turnout has been suggested as ‘unpredictable’ and varied across the country – however last minute campaigning by both candidates on Friday is thought to have increased the turnout in the bellweather states of Yevcimir and Béspura. Artamova has spent the day in the north of the country whilst Yanaka is expected to end the day when polls close at 10pm in Kresnovic – the stronghold of the Progressives. Both will then attend their own rallies at some point in the evening when counting begins, and a final result is not expected until the morning. Sources close to both camps have suggested there is unlikely to be a run-off vote between Artamova and Yanaka – but all now believe that the Nationalist Party candidate, Valeriya Dashkov will come third.
Live Blog
22.22 – Polls have closed in an intensive campaign where the president is expected to win an historic second term. Counting of the result will begin within the next half an hour as the first ballot boxes arrive. Votes will also be counted in the Amar and Preaisk governor races as well as the Arvi mayoral election.
21.55 – The campaign staff of both major candidates have retired for the day and are expected at their major rallies later. Marina Yanaka will be hosted in Béspura by Governor Fischer and the President in Kamchetka by Governor Kirkiosma. They are expected at their respective rallies by 1am.
21.30 – Polls close in half an hour as turnout is predicted to increase to new highs in both Béspura and Yevcimir where the campaign has centred in its closing days and hours. Figures across the rest of the country are down – suggesting the result may be more dependent on these two states than first thought at its beginning.
20.05 – Taras Illyushin is expected to win the Arvi mayoral race with an increased majority as the Union Party are increasingly confident of winning an overall majority of states. The incumbent mayor is predicted to win over 80% of the vote in the country’s largest city.
18.46 – In an interview with a Polascianan TV station, Deputy Fabian Meyer, former rival to Yanaka at the beginning of the campaign, has openly criticised Yanaka for not campaigning in Yevcimir as the vote draws to a close. The former minister has said that, “This is the closest election we have seen in the state – if we lose here, there will be some big questions, yes.” The state is home to Prime Minister Fedorov and former strategist Dmitry Lebedev and has voted Centrist twice in both 2003 and 2011.
18.39 – Yevcimir Governor Lars Arevin, who is not facing re-election until next year, says he expects the Progressives to do “well” in his state – as some in the party question Marina Yanaka’s strategy not to campaign in the state in the closing stages of the race.
18.00 – Daylight has begun to fade in the south as the race begins to come to an end with 4 hours left until polls close. The Centrist/Progressive campaign has centred around the south today, as the President and Union Party colleagues have been campaigning strongly in Yevcimir where they believe they can win the state.
17.30 – As the campaign day draws into evening Marina Yanaka is spotted heading to her next stop as the campaign moves back to Béspura for her and her team ahead of polls closing in just under 4 and a half hours.
17.00 – Lena Zilberman, the former Centrist minister has voted in southern Amar, near where she was born. Zilberman said to the press that she thought the election would be a “unifying day for the country” – although refused to say which candidate she had supported for the Governor’s race – where incumbent Fyodor Schavelev faces Deputy Boris Pelyovin.
16.30 – Artamova has flown to Béspura and has attended a rally in Baia where he addressed a crowd of at least a few thousand. It is expected he will continue to Kamchetka to be in the capital by 10pm as polls close.
15.04 – Police are expected to double in numbers around voting stations in Arvi as polling continues into the evening. Heavy police escorts are already present around key stations in downtown parts of the city as reports suggest that protests could form in the city centre later this evening.
14.52 – Deputy Prime Minister and former advisor and campaign manager for the Progressives, Dmitry Lebedev says party activists are helping keep campaign focused on key targets – and believes Marina Yanaka may help catch independent voters who are still undecided.
14.30 – Turnout expected to be high in swing state of Yevcimir as Union Party officials predict close race is helping drive voters to the polls. Progressives believe they can still win the state, but regardless the vote looks likely to be within a 1 or 2% margin here. Vote recounts here or in Béspura tonight may be likely.
13.50 – The Foreign Minister and leading Progressive Centrist Asta Dahn has voted in her seat in Samara in Chimsk.
13.15 – Marina Yanaka has said that the campaign has been “gruelling but rewarding” and sources in Béspura say that turnout is increasing.
12.30 – Prime Minister Ludvig Fedorov has made an appearance at a rally for Marina Yanaka in the city of Yema in Kresnovic. Some 3,000 voters are thought to have turned out.
12.02 – Early indications suggest that the United Nationalist Democrats could lose all the their seats in the Federal Assembly with junior seats in Yevcimir and Béspura at risk from the Union Party.
11.30 – Yanaka is due to arrive in Kresnovic within the hour whilst the President is focusing his campaign in the north today and is expected to cross the border to campaign in Yevcimir’s city of Zozviv by early afternoon.
10.01 – Early turnout is thought to be inconsistent across the country with figures up in the north but lower in the south on 2011.
09.10 – Yanaka has voted in the election and made no direct comment to the press team following her. She will now head to Kresnovic to join the campaign with Governor Kreutzburg for the Junior and Senior Assembly seats. The party is expected to win both.
08.55 – Marina Yanaka has arrived in Emajic where she will vote with her family and Governor Katrina Fischer – Fischer is expected to host a rally tonight for the Progressive candidate but it is currently unclear whether Yanaka will fly back to Béspura after polls close or whether she will stay near the party HQ in Kresnovic.
08.00 – Polls released yesterday show that the Union Party have an outside chance of topping the vote in Yevcimir – which would point to the president increasing his vote across the country.
07.15 – Union Party candidate Gennadiy Artamova has voted in the election and says he expects it to be a “great day” for the country. Sources close to his camp are suggesting he will once again attend the Union Party rally in Kamchetka tonight at after midnight.
06.55 – Artamova and his aides have arrived at Novy Zay and are expected to make their way to the city hall where the president will vote together with his wife and his oldest son, Borya.
04.33 – Yanaka is not expected to vote until 9am, much later than expected her press secretary says.
04.30 – The presidents’ press team have suggested he will vote in his home town of Novy Zay rather than the state capital Jaekto at around 8am.
04.04 – Extra security is present in the state of Amar and the largest city, Arvi, where the vote is expected to be close between the Union Party as well as the Nationalists. Unity is also expected to claim third – pushing Yanaka’s Progressives even further down the result.
04.00 – Polls have opened, for the first time at the earlier time of 4am, a move designed to increase turnout that was passed by the Federal Assembly earlier in the year. It is thought the election turnout may be down on the 82.5% achieved in 2011 and the 82% which saw Pavel Lukyanov elected in 2007.
Comments are closed.