Kremlin foe Navalny urges election day protests in Russia next month by voting at a specific hour

Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Thursday urged Russians to show their protest of President Vladimir Putin during next month's presidential balloting by voting at a specific time on election day.

Putin is almost certain to win his fifth term in office in the election because of his tight control over the political system, with most opposition politicians either in jail or in exile abroad and the vast majority of independent media in Russia blocked.

In addition, experts say independent monitoring of the balloting will be hindered by the fact that voting will be spread over three days on March 15-17, and an online voting system will be in place in many regions.