Russian Parliament Invites 74 Countries' Observers to Presidential Vote

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's State Duma is inviting 243 observers from 74 countries to monitor the upcoming presidential election in the country, Russian lower house international affairs committee chairman Leonid Slutsky said on Friday.

"The State Duma is inviting 243 observers from 74 countries to the Russian presidential election," Russian lower house international affairs committee chairman Leonid Slutsky told reporters.

According to the lawmaker, the invited representatives include 23 members of the European Parliament, 107 members of national parliaments, nine city mayors and ministers.

READ MORE: Sexy VIDEO Explains Why Real Men Ought to Vote in Russian Presidential Election

The Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 18, while the official campaign kicked off on December 18. Media campaigning will last until March 17.

In February, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) confirmed a presidential election ballot comprising eight candidates. The list will start with Sergey Baburin from the All-People's Union party, followed by Grudinin, Zhirinovsky, Putin, Civil Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak, the Communists of Russia party chairman Maxim Suraykin, business ombudsman Boris Titov, and co-founder of the Yabloko Party Grigory Yavlinsky.