Russia starts three-week pre-election debate 

MOSCOW, Feb. 27 — A three-week pre-election debate kicked off on
Monday, in which Russian presidential candidates would present their
election programs on TV channels and radio stations to attract voters.

According to local reports, five federal TV channels and three radio
stations will allocate free airtime for the campaign. Seven candidates are
expected to join the first TV debate on the Public Television of Russia
broadcaster on Tuesday. Incumbent President Vladimir Putin, who is on his
third term and running for another presidential term, refused to take part
in the debate. Putin is widely expected to have a landslide victory as he
is reported to enjoy a much higher approval rating than his rivals in
total. Russia’s Central Election Commission said earlier that Putin will
order representatives to present his election programs in regional media. A
total of eight people, including Pavel Grudinin from the Russian Communist
Party and Vladimir Zhirinovsky, head of the Liberal Democratic Party of
Russia, have been officially confirmed to run for the country’s
presidential elections on March 18. – XINHUA