Ljubljana - The National Electoral Commission (DVK) has decided that there will be no organised polling station at the Slovenian Embassy in Moscow for the 24 April general election in Slovenia. Voting by mail from Russia will not be possible, either.

This comes after the Foreign Ministry said that voting from the Embassy in Russia could not be guaranteed due to the security situation and logistical conditions for business in the country, and due to the suspension of postal traffic with the country.

The DVK said that mail shipments could not be delivered from Russia to Slovenia or elsewhere in Europe, and that internal communication routes in Russia were very unreliable. This was also confirmed by the Slovenian national postal operator.

The Foreign Ministry noted that a visa must be obtained for every trip from Russia to Europe or vice versa, and that air links were rare and unreliable, adding that the working conditions for Slovenian diplomats in Russia were expected to be further tightened.

Slovenian citizens residing in Russia will be able to cast their votes in the election if they come to Slovenia and vote at special polling stations open on election day at the seats of district electoral commissions and administrative units.

To cast their ballots at these polling stations, known as omnia, they need to submit applications no later than three days before the vote, that is by 20 April.