Donetsk, Sep 27 — DAN. The polling stations at the referendum on the Donetsk People’s Republic joining Russia have completed their work. Tuesday is the final day of the plebiscite; the election commissions are poised to start vote count.
Under the law, district election commissions start vote count immediately after the end of voting. The final figures are entered into protocols which will be promptly delivered to territorial commissions for obtaining voting result in their respective territory.
The data then are forwarded to the Central Election Commission which checks the protocols for correctness and sums up the figures provided by the territorial commissions. The results are announced within five days after the final day of voting. The law says that the proposal to join Russia is approved if supported by more than 50 percent of the voters.
Preliminary results might be announced as early as Tuesday evening.
Voting in the referendum took place in public space of residential areas from September 23 through September 26. Voter turnout after four days reached 86.89 percent.
The voters are asked to answer the question on whether they support the Donetsk People’s Republic joining the Russian Federation as a constituent entity. The right to vote in the referendum is enjoyed by citizens aged 18 or over including those who have turned 18 on of the final day of voting.
The Lugansk People’s Republic and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions also held plebiscites on these dates. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would support the decisions of residents of Donbass and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions on their future which would be made at the referenda.*jk