56 per cent turnout in Russian presidential elections

Voter turnout for the Russian presidential election had risen to 56.3 percent by 6 p.m. Moscow time, according to the Central Election Commission’s Deputy Head Leonid Ivlev, RIA Novosti reports.

Voting was brisk, with 47.6 percent turnout by 3 p.m.

The election, the first for a six-year term in office, is being contested by incumbent Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, A Just Russia’s Sergei Mironov and the only independent, Mikhail Prokhorov.