MOSCOW: The rouble traded steady on Friday versus the dollar and the euro as Russians went to the polls to elect a new parliament, while lower oil prices kept Russian stocks from returning to record highs hit earlier this week.
The three-day vote that the ruling United Russia party is expected to win despite a ratings slump after the biggest crackdown on the Kremlin's critics in years.
At 0843 GMT, the rouble was 0.1% weaker against the dollar at 72.58 and had lost 0.1% to trade at 85.50 versus the euro, near a more than 13-month high of 85.0850 hit on Thursday.
"Today we expect pressure on the rouble to persist ... and see a possible return to the 73 mark versus the dollar," said Promsvyazbank analysts in a note, citing correctional sentiment on oil markets.
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.3% at $75.44 a barrel.
Russian rouble firms, MOEX hits record high on rising oil prices
Low wages and rising prices are crucial issues for Russians at parliamentary elections, economists say, but maintaining financial stability matters more to the Kremlin than driving growth, with inflation a lingering concern.
Pressure on foreign tech firms has ramped up in the run-up to the vote and on Friday, an app that jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his allies hoped to use to organise a tactical voting campaign, was removed from Google and Apple's stores.
"This week alone, accusations of 'election interference' against top U.S. tech companies have been relevant for political risk perceptions and the TMT segment," said Cole Akeson of SberCIB Investment Research.
The rouble largely ignored a hawkish signal by Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina on Friday that the central bank could consider raising the key rate, in one or a couple of steps, at its upcoming board meetings.
Russian stock indexes were flat.
The dollar-denominated RTS index was steady at 1,756.0 points. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index was unchanged at 4,045.7 points, not far from an all-time high of 4,081.98 points, hit on Wednesday.
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