Alwaght- Nationwide voter turnout in the Russian presidential election stood at 65.05% as of 12:50 p.m. Moscow time on Sunday, according to live update from the Russian Central Election Commission, according to Tass news agency.
"[Voter turnout] as the election is going on: 65.05%," data on the information board of the election authority reads.
The data excludes the number of online voters though.
This is the highest engagement in the nation’s modern history, unseen for more than two decades.
A previous similar turnout was recorded in 1991 at the first and only presidential elections in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, when Russia was still a part of the USSR. At that time, around 74% of voters turned out to cast their vote.
The average turnout at the presidential elections in modern Russia ranged between 64% and 69%. The ballot held in 2018 had a turnout of around 67%, RT reported.
Meanwhile, the incumbent President Vladimir Putin seems set for landslide win.
According to the CEC, more than 50% of the votes have been counted as of 23:00 Moscow time and Putin is leading the race with an estimated 87.3%.
Exit polls earlier showed similar trends, with the head of state expected to win the election with 87.8%.
