Russians in Malaysia Cast Ballots in State Duma Elections

Kuala Lumpur, The Gulf Observer: Russian citizens residing in Malaysia turned out at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to cast their ballots in the elections for deputies of the State Duma.

The three-day parliamentary elections are being held from September 18 to 20, with voting for Russian citizens abroad organised at designated polling stations.

Voting at the Russian Embassy proceeded smoothly, with embassy staff registering voters and issuing ballot papers. Two polling stations were established inside the embassy, while Malaysian police maintained security outside the diplomatic mission.

Russian Ambassador to Malaysia Naiyl M. Latypov and his wife, Marina Latypova, were among those who cast their ballots, voting at around 11 a.m. By that time, nearly 100 Russian citizens had already voted, with additional voters expected before polling closed.

Approximately 2,000 Russian citizens are estimated to reside in Malaysia, with the majority based in Kuala Lumpur. The embassy conducted voting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, after which the ballots were to be counted and the results transmitted to Moscow.

Among those voting was an 18-year-old Russian citizen casting a ballot for the first time. A 10-member delegation from Russia’s Artek International Children’s Centre, which had arrived in Malaysia on Saturday, also participated in the voting.

The Russian embassy said Kuala Lumpur was the only polling centre established in Malaysia, citing the concentration of Russian citizens in the capital. A special election observer appointed by Russia’s Public Chamber was also present at the polling station.

According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, 333 polling stations had been organised in 152 countries for Russian citizens abroad to vote in elections for all 450 members of the State Duma. More than 1.8 million registered Russian voters are living outside the country.