positions and aspirations of modern russia. presidential election two thousand and twelve. all eyes on russia as people vote for their next president will take the reins for up to six years. only two hours remain until polling stations across the country close and it's very interesting who will win the battle for the kremlin will there be a second round runoff and will this election become the most transparent in russia's history as it had been promised joy in your life all the latest details in just a minute. and a look at the week's top stories calls for a serious cease fire grow but reports of more arms smuggling and the arrest of more than one hundred foreign mercenaries spiked fears of international interference.

all but two with the new leaders sign a new pact on tough budget controls while people across europe unite against cuts to their wages and pensions. seven pm in moscow i met treasure bring you today's top stories and a look back at the week's news here on r t tens of millions of russians choosing the man who will be president for an unprecedented six year term today polling stations close in less than two hours we're bringing you comprehensive coverage from the heart of moscow. as we've been reporting throughout the day high turnout expected with russians having shown a huge level of political activity leading up to this vote authorities are making

every effort to make sure the poll is transparent as possible hundreds of thousands of independent observers are spread nationwide in every ballot box out of the watchful gaze of wide web cams for the first time that anyone can go online and watch parties like sarah shared ski live in red square with all the latest so let's say only two hours left for western russia to wrap up its voting what's the latest that you're hearing right now on how it's all going. well that we are entering the final hour of voting in moscow and central russia and one more remaining for the western most part of russia the. leading route to vote and then we will have the first preliminary exit poll results which we will certainly voice live as soon as we get it the voter turnout so far has been very high compared to the previous presidential election four years ago we understand that more than powerful russians have already cast their ballots and in some regions the voter turnout reached amazing seventy percent especially in the far east over russia now all the

political elite all the presidential candidates as well have also cast their ballots during the day driving a celeb even if you can cast his ballot along with his wife just as his main political rival the head of the leader of the communist party and probably the main rival in this particular race is uganda also we saw him at the polling station casting his ballot now they have been irregularities and different malfunctions of some sort reported from the polling stations in particular live webcams were not working everywhere and we also heard of some we did but it was over are in fact claiming that they have been. sophistications if you are in the election process though it hasn't yet been confirmed by anybody on the official sources report that the election itself that the voting process has been running smoothly we've seen a number of rallies both for and against the current leadership in russia in the run up to the poll what's the impact this is all had on the elections process so

far. we have definitely seen a very new russian map in the last three or four months ever since the parliamentary vote in december when allegations of a rigged voting took thousands of people into the streets thousands were protesting online as well voicing their anger and their discontent with the current government aiming their anger directly at prime minister putin did demanding that he should resign that the power should be changed in russia this in many ways launched and you dialogue between those in the streets online and those in a in power definitely something new for russia we haven't seen anything like that the the events of unprecedented scale ever since the early one nine hundred ninety s. russia has changed everybody admits that it is on the way to changing completely over the next years budget regardless of who becomes the president this time and earlier

i spoke to ed across a very well known expert in economy and politics here in moscow and he also shares this really. the fundamental problem is russia needs an opposition it needs serious loyal constructive opposition and for twenty years there hasn't been one i mean i remember the yeltsin years the opposition was fairly pathetic and right now it is it's not much better so it's still going to be to conclude probably the next six years russia needs to modernize but it's going to be a slow process and what mr putin keeps saying is supposed to pena gradually we're going to see gradual change so russia has to move up the value added chain and it's . has to modernize but it's not going to happen overnight. most of the people some of the people a large chunk of the people of the protesters were directing their anger as i said directly at prime minister vladimir putin but certainly a large part of the protesting crowd were demanding fair and free election in this

country certainly this is basically the main change we've seen so far with hundreds of thousands of people working as observers at the polling stations all throughout this state any russian citizen could become an observer and this is a dramatic kind of major change to all the election complaints we've had ever since the collapse of the soviet union well let's say take us through some of the measures that are being implemented to make this election transparent. well a definitely the one measure which has been in the in the limelight all throughout the day is the installation of webcams at the polling stations everywhere across the country the project which cost health a billion u.s. dollars almost half a billion u.s. dollars for the russian state budget which was initiated by the prime minister himself now also as i mentioned hundreds of thousands of observers along with seven hundred international observers working at the polling stations making sure that this election would become transparent and it is being promised as the most

transparent election in the history of mourning in russia whether that will be so certainly we will know soon enough as i said the polling stations are closing in just two hours from now finally alexei most eyes are on the front runner vladimir putin of course but for other candidates in the running against him one of their chances as head of today and what happens if they capture a large percentage of the vote. it is widely believed and a nobody has any illusions about the fact that lenin put in will win this election definitely he's the front runner despite having his support diminished by almost two fold as. something suggest that anyway he is the front runner if you will when it's the question is how he will win it in order to get a straight victory he must get fifty percent of the votes plus one vote and that will give him a straight victory in the first round if he gets less than that then he will have a second round runoff to be held on march twenty fifth in exactly three weeks from

now and now of course all the political analysts and everyone in the country speculating who could become the potential challenges for him if we can in this potential second round runoff with the main challenger the main person who could be there alone the current prime minister is they hand over the communist party you know he's going to a very experienced campaign a very experienced presidential race high-tech there's only been one complaint in the history of more than a russia when he did not participate so it's his fifth campaign and every time he participated in the presidential election he came in a second place another potential. person to be in the potential second round run of what he reported is that dark horse of this election of the special election complaints russian tycoon mikhail prokhorov who in many ways represents the middle class middle class certainly was the largest chunk of the dissenting crowds in the

cities across the whole country. of also stands a very good chance according to many analysts to be that way as you do now but even if we can shoot a second round run off it happened to the other two candidates according to opinions they stand very little chance they have a very slim chance of making it into the potential second round runoff this is certainly the head of the liberal democratic party who also like just like you know he's going to has been at most of the complaints of presidential candidates all throughout the more than history of russia now a very eccentric man with a very unusual style in his complains and he's also running this time despite that some say that this may well be his last campaign for presidency and blue. also last but not least we have to get in on the the head of the fair russia france he also the former head of the upper house of the russian parliament also running for the third sign for the russia's joe cool win of the votes in the fall of the kremlin certainly a little doubt that this will lead you to putin the question is if that how this week treat with these reforms right or he's let sarah ships arrive for us in red

square thanks for the update. millions of people across russia now casting their ballots will following their city can duties and choosing their candidates for the first time anyone can watch the democracy live in action nearly every single polling station as we've been reporting is or quit with web cams transmitting it all why this is what's happening right now at a polling station here in moscow we've been showing you from different locations throughout the day the web cam network is our prime minister vladimir putin's idea to ensure maximum transparency in response to allegations of a rigged devote during the state duma elections back in december you want to check it out for yourself the address is in the lower right hand corner of your screen there where you can register using your social media account if you don't want to register we're showing a selection of streaming web cams on our team dot com website where you can also find extensive analysis of the election and to get the latest i think it's. hard to use a catherine mcgrath show that has been checking out the web cam installation and looking

into other preparations to make the vote transparent. yes. but we won't forget and we won't forgive this is what the opposition promised the kremlin after december's parliamentary elections they claimed the vote had been raked in response the authorities decided web cameras at all ninety eight thousand polling stations would solve that problem it's cost russian taxpayers over three hundred million dollars doubling the initial cost of the vote now it's officially the most transparent and the most expensive in the nation's history but not everyone is convinced. the cameras were in changing anything there will always be discontent it was honest before a room without cameras i don't think it will make the vote more transparent it's only made to please the opposition. that there was no sense installing them too

many people are voting and there are too many polling stations it will make things more complicated. one of the main concerns about the c.c.t.v. system is whether it can serve a country as vast as russia hacker attacks on the website in charge of broadcasting shortly before the vote only added to concerns but these young people claim they came up with a strong alternative the phone and tablet application aldridge deal was created mostly for observers it allows them to upload pictures report on the turnout to give the final results and register any violations the data would be processed and published on the website immediately when we realize our web site might be attacked on the x. by hackers but we're ready for any attack on our reserves are capable of dealing with serious traffic they're based in data centers in europe so we'll cope with processing information from observers and regular users to. ultra geo is

independent from the central election committee and its founders promise to come up with reports just as independent meanwhile that all five candidates had quarters it's been mostly about training observers this election also has set a record number of watchdogs almost a million including seven hundred international observers. i was invited to this election doors open day it was good training for everyone we could see first hand how c.c.t.v. systems work to see transparent ballot boxes it will be the first presidential election in russia which not only will be filmed on hundreds of thousands of cameras but which has been rehearsed to a couple of days before the actual goes those who wish to take part were invited to cast their ballots not for candidates of today but from history including peter the great winston churchill and. you know he included a great twenty six slopes it's only hours before russia's next peter the great is

named but even before the ballots have been counted many warned of a new wave of protests. protesters in december demonstrated not against the results of the vote but the fact an advantage when putin was swapping seats irritated them was that putin was trying to return to the top job so regardless of how transparent the vote is if putin gets slightly more than fifty percent protesters will claim he added data and self to avoid a second round to get seventy no one will believe the result the first exit polls will be released one voting in the westernmost city of kaliningrad comes to an end the question then will any of the candidates have that much needed fifty percent to avoid a second round exit in the direction of r r t more still. getting a larger reaction now from moscow based political analyst sergei mark of both for joining us so pre-election polls indicated a widening reporting is still. the country's most popular politician though there

are some western media that criticize and some comment commentators analysts who do occasionally vilify him do you think what do you think is the basis of that in the face of his popularity here in russia. i seek now will have been have put i don't know what is outs. but e.q. some like join my good sir return to rational buy out. more want those or. we can mobilize you and you'll hear it also when you see some protest demonstrations more severe because. action order generators and that's it if i don't know who or what he wanted from the muscovites against russia it seems if you're not in the russia's many countries why do you think though the middle class why are you saying they're against russia they're just good mostly in calling for a fair election yes. that poor motive of the class.

talk and started to talk about pretty and parallel actions now is the most. we can get out and the. course in the national would be could get between the region and muscles at least people concentrated a mosque or. told you my solution they gave. you could even cause you support you know not normal russian region itself but i don't see. you as a shit as it is i'll try to be fair to the selection which is a. sin and previous look on your part of a mental block also input is against a lesson in law and also as he said rights of knowledge shows that people move less those are election systems especially now when we look at not only at penn state and wants us all sorts of. election we should call whip elections because both

produce asian. and consolation for example media tools are internet don't you meet us we're watching such a warning to those on putting station now it's been more than a dozen years since whatever putin first stepped onto the main stage in the country and he's still quite determined to stay at the top do you think he'll deliver on his promises of progress and modernization and set in motion plans for fresh faces behind the kremlin walls. you know i see. through the national media everybody has. to agree when it comes to humans could you see as much. as agrees that. i should get a mike to give me. your schools are not a model but i'm sure not all concert. would you but you want to know what

does a good white. and people. don't get it is not told to do because it is it is it is out because it is out. not counted that. we just indecency times. for. some ten times not just them to be some swell time and potential. time to excuse. good it is also if you call to ask you because. he is. really. what you are strong a real much at the same time march through march he's a black. one of them a symbol oprah and people like it. all right inside an opinion from moscow based political analyst sergei in our top thank you. my pleasure well stay with us here on our team for up to the minute coverage of russia's election from the heart of the capital as the votes are cast and counted.

turning to some of the week's other top stories here on r t fears of a foreign role in the syrian violence escalated this week government forces say they've arrested more than one hundred mercenaries mostly arabs and even some europeans attempts to smuggle weapons into the country also reportedly on the rise artie's marie if the notion has more. the borders those and windows to the state despite international isolation series borders have remained opened and easy to pass through and that may have played a crucial role in the militarization of the country's conflict almost immediately after the crisis began here last march they were reports of weapons been smuggled through to arm president al assad's opponents one thousand dollars for a truck full of weapons capable of delivering wholesale destruction and death

that's how marshall kind of all paid to smugglers usually iraqi or lebanese drivers according to the yacht ismail chief of the customs service on the border with lebanon. these people bring with him here to destroy our nation to try to use syrian people on the syrian territory enemies. syria has more than two thousand kilometers of front year with five states israel iraq jordan turkey and lebanon the syrian cities where the most violent clashes have taken place homes and there are all over the in our of the border is a fact that some believe as the term and their fatal destiny is this is one of three tech points on the three hundred fifty kilometer syrian lebanese border in the last year as we've been told here there were only three attempts to smuggle weapons across the offices confiscated thousands of dollars dozens of guns and hundreds of clothes i have little metal pieces like this one used to may well put

your source's main concern i'm a little close like this one but part of the border where there isn't any security at all but here look at this in the middle of nowhere there is nothing only one road across the road right now and at the same time crossing the border and i'm already in love and on. and further south she remains extremely vulnerable the city of cairo the cradle of the syrian uprising. it all started here and it continues to play a role in the country's crisis with what was jordan just several kilometers away from here and numerous reports suggesting that foreign weapons and troops can easily flow through its that are has become one of the witness points in the country's security the city has become the scene of fierce and bloody clashes at least twice in the conflicts twelve months of history the authorities have claimed that many of the so-called free syrian army have in fact come from across the

border. that they appear shoot and kill and then they disappear immediately they arrive from abroad they are not from jordan they use this country's border many of them are from africa. we are showing their weapons and legibly seized in military operations. in the army we don't have weapons from israel and america sniper guns and night vision binoculars advanced developed weapons we don't have it in syria just what we confiscated is killing innocent people and kill even more. while the international community condemns the al assad regime and supports its opponents many believe all sides in the conflict should be held responsible for violence across syria and with so many foreign weapons involved it's clear that the crisis stretches far beyond these borders region ocean r.t. reporting from syria. rebel forces pulled back from

a key district in the besieged city of homs this week with government troops moving in to tackle the remaining resistance damascus as it's gradually purging the city of armed terrorists activists say it's a massacre and claim repressions are happening international red cross boosting its efforts to get aid into the city residents remain without electricity and are low on food and water and fierce fighting between rebels and government troops one eye witness told r.t. people are hiding indoors afraid of the troops and from what they say are masked gunmen thought to be foreign mercenaries before first hand account of illiberal online at r.t. dot com. all except two e.u. nations have now signed up onto a new tougher budget rules to stop countries running up huge debts and britain and the czech republic staying out of the deal which must be now ratified by twelve euro zone members or he's just has more from brussels it's been talked about for months claimed as a solution to europe's crisis he's cool compact this kind of talk to new street

school after another two day summits this fiscal stability compact is signed sealed and delivered. most e.u. leaders have agreed to give it the go ahead and it's expected to be ratified by at least twelve years of nations this pact comes with tight budgetary rules that must be strictly adhered to or else face automatic sanctions. member states must maintain a balanced budget or have a surplus keep a budget deficit of three percent or less and shrine the balanced budget rule of national legislation with one year preferred we will be in the constitution if budgetary targets are not met a guilty nation could be brought to the european court of justice and be obliged to make penalty payments the reins of strict budgetary oversight will be in brussels hands now we've in europe in brussels we've got our first saw and there's a budget star and he's going to police all the grudges all the member states and

these member states will lose sovereignty in the field of budgetary policy now what is the population going to accept this. a population that's already been forced to accept one tough story masher after another good economist was that if you are doing if you were you go towards crisis everybody is no tackling problem because if we are cutting expenses everywhere then you crash everywhere in the bodies consuming nobody's interesting but the growth point of this truth is a continuation of true liberal orthodoxy. so we are exactly going back to what we have been but i think we. know in the midst e.u. leaders see the budgetary discipline dispersal civility practice expected to bring as a step closer to solving the eurozone structural imbalances and help crisis hit countries ease their way out of their predicament but it's a one size fits all approach worried about the impact it could have on healthier

economies you could lead to huge piece school conservation bias so you can do some things that come to see if it's a good situation go through the if it's going to pounds each can the prius coming to the. banks piece problems and they don't want to you want to lend and not a desirable scenario when the new buzzwords are grows and employment does are cilia r t brussels. week saw anti austerity protests in several european countries ahead of friday's eve summit hundreds of demonstrators demanded drastic action from their leaders in front of the european union headquarters in brussels and in spain thousands of students held more rallies against education cuts in athens trade unions went on a three hour stoppage and marched against changes in pension salaries and benefits greece under immense pressure from brussels any international monetary fund to impose austerity to secure

a hundred thirty billion euro bailout. turned out of some other stories making headlines across the globe a series of explosions that it harms dump in the democratic republic of congo has reportedly killed around two hundred people hundreds more were injured in the blast in the capital barrage of ill because i don't know him but the government believes it to be an accident. libya's muslim brotherhood officially forms a political party that will be led by a behind and so on who spent eight years behind bars under the khadafi regime as a political prisoner the brotherhood expected to be a leading political force in the us coming here to lecture just as long as groups had a presence in the country for more than sixty years but many of its leaders jailed or exiled under khadafi as root. a train crash in southern poland leave sixteen people dead fifty injured two express trains collided head on traveling in opposite directions on the same track not yet clear how one of the trains managed to end up

on the wrong track of the main his work was being carried out in the area poland's prime minister calls it the most tragic train catastrophe in many years stay with us on our tears we continue our in-depth coverage of today's of voting in russia's presidential election. our correspondents across the city across moscow bringing you live up to the reports as we await the outcome of the twenty twelve books. in a few moments we'll speak with the man behind the installation of two hundred thousand webcams across the country to help make the vote a maximum transparent that's after a recap of the day's headlines and the week's top stories after a short break.