Voting begins in Russian election

Voters in Russia's far eastern region of Kamchatka were the first to begin casting their ballots in the country's presidential election. Four candidates are vying to replace President Vladimir Putin during Sunday's presidential contest. But it's widely expected that Putin's chosen successor Dmitry Medvedev will come through with a big victory.

Though having been hit by a strong cyclone and snow in recent days, all of the 203 polling stations in Kamchatka opened at 8 am local time on Sunday as scheduled. Other parts of the Russian territory still have to wait for several hours to vote. Local officials say they will mobilize all forces to clear the roads to polling stations.

Four candidates are running for the highest post in the country. A candidate must capture more than 50 percent of the vote to win outright. Otherwise, a run-off will be held between the top two candidates.