Russian site to monitor presidential poll voting live | Bangkok Post: tech

Russia on Friday launched an Internet site which will transit live images from polling stations during the March 4 presidential election in which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is seeking back his Kremlin job.

A man prepares a presentation video on the monitoring system for polling stations. Russia launched an Internet site which will transit live images from polling stations during the March 4 presidential election in which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is seeking back his Kremlin job.

Internet users can register on the webvybory2012.ru site until March 3, Deputy Minister for Telecommunications and Mass Media Ilya Massukh told a news conference.

Web cameras have been installed in 91,400 voting stations across the country at a cost of 25 billion roubles (629 million euros/$824 million).

The site was set up "so that nobody can doubt the regularity of the voting process", and to "ensure transparency and openness," Massukh said, adding that there had "been different opinions on the conduct of elections in Russia".

However, their use after the elections and whether they could be use to mount a legal challenge, had not been clarified, the deputy minister said.

Since he announced in September his plan to seek a third Kremlin term in a job swap with incumbent President Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's approval ratings have dropped and he faces unprecedented protests against his candidacy.

A huge protest rally is scheduled to be held in Moscow on Saturday which organisers say is expected to be attended by tens of thousands of people.

Putin in December ordered the installation of cameras in all voting centres.