LUGANSK, 17 Sep. The participation of residents of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic contributes to the integration processes between the Russian Federation and the republics of Donbass, said the head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik. Earlier, the head of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, Ella Pamfilova, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that there will be no plots on the territory of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR, but residents who are in they received Russian citizenship in a simplified manner, they will be able to come to the Rostov region, where they received their passports, and vote. They can also vote remotely if they have a verified account on the public services portal.
The first buses with those wishing to vote in the elections left the LPR «Today is a very important, responsible and significant day for us … This is the first time the residents of our republic are taking part in this voting … I am sure that such an event contributes to strengthening the integration processes between Russia and Donbass», — the head of the republic said in a video message to the inhabitants of the LPR. Passechnik clarified that in deciding to grant the right to vote in the elections to the State Duma, the Russian authorities, first of all, provided the residents of the Donbass republics with the opportunity «to feel part of Russia», as well as «to take part directly in the life of the fraternal state. «Voting in the Duma and other elections on a single voting day takes place in Russia and abroad from 17 to 19 September. The State Duma is elected for a five-year term under a mixed electoral system: 225 deputies are elected from party lists, another 225 — from single-mandate constituencies in one round. 14 parties registered federal lists of candidates for the State Duma. In April 2014, the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed LPR and DPR, which declared independence after the coup d'etat in Kiev in February 2014. According to the latest UN data, about 13 thousand people became victims of the conflict. The issue of resolving the situation in Donbass is being discussed, among other things, during the meetings of the Minsk contact group, which since September 2014 has already adopted three documents regulating steps to de-escalate the conflict. However, even after the armistice agreements between the parties to the conflict, shootings continue.
Donbass has become closer to Russia thanks to participation in the elections, Pushilin said
