By ninemsn staff
Russians are being offered everything from toy-making lessons to medical check-ups at their local polling stations when they vote in Sunday's parliamentary elections.
Authorities across the country have spent $9 million on a range of inducements designed to increase voter turnout.
Voters in Omsk can even consult gynaecologists and urologists at polling stations, according to The Moscow Times.
In Kemerovo, people can have their hair cut in the style of a punk or prisoner or join a toy-making workshop, with free food on hand for hungry voters.
Everyone who votes in Novgorod will receive a prize, with one lucky citizen taking home a new car for voting.
Russians are used to getting something in return for voting on election day: during the Soviet era, luxury food items such as caviar were offered at bargain basement prices.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the range of attractions and the money spent on inducing people to vote has increased.
President Vladmir Putin has warned voters that the country faces "humiliation" if his United Russia party is not returned with a majority in the Duma elections.
Many voters have told reporters they are under pressure from local officials and employers to vote for Putin's party.
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