Russian Presidential Candidates Spent $14Mln on Campaigns – Election Commission

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - All eight candidates in the Russian presidential election have spent 781 million rubles (almost $14 million) which amounts to almost half of their campaign funds worth a total of 1.3 billion rubles, the Russian Central Election Commission’s (CEC) figures indicated on Thursday.

Head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky is ahead of all other candidates in the amount of election campaign, spending as of February 20 over 200 million rubles, a half of his total campaign fund.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is seeking re-election as an independent candidate, has spent a little less — 196 million rubles, according to the Russian Central Election Commission.

At the same time, a non-partisan nominee of Russia's Communist Party (CPRF) Pavel Grudinin spent the majority of his campaign fund – 150 million rubles, with only 20 million rubles left as of February 20.

Liberal Civil Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak has spent 92 million rubles from a total of almost 140 million, the CEC figures revealed.

According to the Russian legislation, a candidate’s campaign fund could not exceed 400 million rubles.

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The presidential election in Russia is scheduled for March 18, 2018. There are eight candidates running for president this year: Sergey Baburin from the All-People's Union party, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky, incumbent President Vladimir Putin, Civil Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak, Communists of Russia party Chairman Maxim Suraykin, business ombudsman Boris Titov, and co-founder of the Yabloko Party Grigory Yavlinsky.