The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Moscow

The countdown to Russia's presidential elections next year began officially on Wednesday with the publication of the date for the vote in the government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta. The elections, the fourth since the fall of the Soviet Union, are set for March 2, following parliamentary elections on Sunday in which President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party is expected to win a landslide victory.

Prospective candidates can apply starting Wednesday until December 23. Media campaigning will be permitted from February 2 until February 29, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said earlier.