Russia's elections

Putin, widely expected to win 4th term as Russia's president, presses for maximum votes, reports say

As Sunday’s presidential election nears, Vladimir Putin is widely expected to be guaranteed a landslide win in his quest for a fourth term. But reports emerged Saturday that local and state officials have still received orders “from higher-ups” to ensure a strong voter turnout.

The mayor of Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, Yevgeny Roizman, said that local officials and state employees were told by “higher-up” to make sure that presidential voter turnout reaches over 60 percent.

"They are using everything: schools, kindergartens, hospitals — the battle for the turnout is unprecedented," he said.

One doctor who asked to remain anonymous, told The Associated Press that she was forced to fill out a form detailing where she would be casting her ballot and she feared that not showing up at all would endanger her job.

She said if she weren't being pressed to vote, she wouldn’t because she already knows Putin will win.