The Central Election Commission on Thursday began verifying the signatures of self-nominated presidential candidates in Russia for the March 4 elections. The day before, on the last day of accepting signatures, the required at least 2 million autographs were provided by the candidate from the Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinsky , businessman Mikhail Prokhorov and the governor of the Irkutsk region Dmitry Mezentsev . The head of the unregistered Volya party, Svetlana Peunova, was able to submit only 243 thousand signatures.

Prokhorov was the first to bring documents to the CEC on Wednesday; 2.1 million people signed in support of the businessman. Yavlinsky arrived later, bringing 2.86 million signatures in his support. According to eyewitnesses, the presidential candidate from Yabloko refused to shake Prokhorov’s hand, although he was waiting for Yavlinsky.

Then the leader of “Volya” Peunova came to the CEC, but not to submit the necessary signatures, but to declare that it was almost impossible to collect the number required by law. Peunova herself brought 243 thousand signatures to the CEC. “This is a real figure, those who claim to have collected 2 million either falsified them or attracted administrative resources,” said the Volya leader.

The last to bring documents was Mezentsev, whose campaign to collect signatures was accompanied by scandals. The Irkutsk governor was accused of using administrative resources and forging signatures.

The CEC will check the documents of presidential candidates until January 28.

Four candidates from parliamentary parties did not need to collect signatures. Vladimir Putin from United Russia, Gennady Zyuganov from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation , Sergei Mironov from A Just Russia and Vladimir Zhirinovsky from the Liberal Democratic Party have already announced their participation in the presidential elections on March 4.

The Central Election Commission began verifying signatures