Russia regional vote: Polls set to open for key test - BBC News
▻http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34236876
Voters across Russia are set to vote in regional elections on Sunday that are seen as a gauge of public opinion ahead of parliamentary polls next year.
About 59 million people - nearly half the population - are eligible to vote for governors and regional parliaments.
But the main opposition Democratic Coalition has only been allowed to stand in one region, Kostroma.
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The Democratic Coalition’s campaign has not been easy - with minimal coverage on the state media and accusations that they are working for the US, reports the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford in Russia.
Coalition candidates were barred from participating in legislative contests in the Kaluga, Magadan, and Novosibirsk regions.
The opposition say this was because of technicalities cited by officials in a politically motivated bid to prevent them from standing.