Nikolai Konkin said the vote was already over in 18 regions of Russia, which has 11 time zones. The highest turnout, 83.3%, was reported in Chukotka, in Russia's Far East. More than 60% of the electorate voted in East Siberia and the Urals.
Candidates running for Russian president include Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, ultranationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Andrey Bogdanov, leader of the tiny, little-known pro-Western Democratic Party.
The election is expected to bring victory to current leader Vladimir Putin's preferred successor, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
Speaking at the CEC press center, Konkin said turnout was expected to exceed 70% by the end of the vote: "I have an optimistic forecast. I believe we will hit the figure."
CEC head Vladimir Churov said earlier on Friday turnout in the majority of Russian regions was 3-5% higher than in the December parliamentary elections, when 63.78 percent voted.
Speaking at the International Information Center opened in Moscow to cover the polls - criticized by Western states and the opposition at home as undemocratic - European Parliament member Paul Marie Couteaux said the vote was proceeding in line with European standards.
Echoing the assessment, a French lawmaker, Thierry Mariani, said the vote was going on without any incidents.
Many western observers chose to boycott the election over restrictions imposed by Russia.
And critics pointed to pressure on voters, especially employees of state-run organizations.
The election chief in Russia's northwestern Republic of Komi reported on a voter pressure complaint from a local resident.
Ernest Mezak said "the best voter" contest and a lottery arranged on the election day were designed to entice voters to come to polls. Voters at polling stations were offered calendars with individual numbers. Organizers said calendar holders could take part in a lottery for a car and one-room apartment on Monday.
