Russians in north vote in country’s elections (Update)

Russian citizens living in the north are able to vote in the country’s Presidential elections, according to Kibris Postasi.

A ballot box has been opened in the building in northern Nicosia which offers Russian consular services, with voting open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

It is believed that around 50,000 Russian citizens live in the north, with the Russian election marking the first time citizens of a third country other than Turkey have been able to vote in the north.

With voting abroad complete on Thursday, the election in Russia will take place between March 15 and March 17.

There are four candidates on the ballot, incumbent President Vladimir Putin, communist Nikolay Kharitonov, centrist candidate Vladislav Davankov, and ultranationalist Leonid Slutsky.

Slutsky is no relation to the football manager, who currently manages Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua and formerly coached English team Hull City and the Russian national team.

Responding to the news, Turkish Cypriot opposition political party leader CTP pointed out the inconsistency between official population projections in the north and the seeming reality given the apparent 50,000 Russian citizens living there.

“What Ustel knew but could not say, what Dursun Oguz did not know, what Tatar said is 410,000, what Akpinar said is a million, it would be useful to add these 50,000 to this population figure, if it exists,” he retorted.