Nearing 50 percent turnout in Russia's presidential elections

Turnout in Russia's presidential elections was just under fifty percent by 3:00 p.m. Moscow time (11:00 GMT), RIA Novosti cites an election official as saying.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is bidding to return to the Kremlin for a third term.

Four other candidates - Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party head Vladimir Zhirinovsky, A Just Russia Party leader Sergei Mironov and the only independent, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov - are also running in the March 4 vote.
Putin, 59, who was Russia's president from 2000 to 2008 and has been prime minister since then, has led the race but may be forced into a second round if he gets less than 50 percent of the vote in the first.