Russia: Alexei Navalny's widow calls for election protests on last day of voting

There have been signs of dissent in Russia as the country enters its third and final day of voting in the presidential election

The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has called on his supporters to join a protest on Sunday that Navalny devised shortly before his still-unexplained death.

In a video message posted earlier this month, Yulia Navalnaya asked Russians opposed to President Vladimir Putin to get in line at voting stations on March 17, the last and main day of voting.

She said: "Come to the polling station on the same day and at the same time - March 17 at 12:00. Its your choice what to do next - you can vote for any candidate, except Putin.

"You can ruin the ballot, you can write Navalny on it in bold letters and even if you don't see the point in voting at all, you can just come and stand at the polling station and then turn around and go home.

"This is not an election in any case. Putin will not be a legitimate president, neither for you and me, nor the rest of the world," she added.

Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison last month, had previously said that by forming long lines to vote against Putin, people would make a "powerful demonstration of the country's mood."

Sunday will be the final day of voting in Russia's three-day presidential election, which Putin is certain to win.

The 71-year-old Russian leader faces three token rivals from Kremlin-friendly parties who have refrained from any criticism of his 24-year rule or his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

Voting is taking place at polling stations across the vast country’s 11 time zones, in illegally annexed regions of Ukraine, and online. More than 60% of eligible voters had cast ballots as of early Sunday.

Despite tight controls, multiple cases of vandalism at polling stations were reported.

A woman was arrested in St. Petersburg after she threw a firebomb at a polling station entrance, and several others were detained across the country for throwing green antiseptic or ink into ballot boxes.

Beyond the lack of options for voters, the possibilities for independent monitoring are very limited. No significant international observers were present. Only registered, Kremlin-approved candidates, or state-backed advisory bodies, can assign observers to polling stations, decreasing the likelihood of independent watchdogs.

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