He told Russians that their support will be important for Russia's next president so he can be 'effective and confident'.

'The voice of each of you will be important in the March 2 vote,' Mr Putin said in a televised address, drawing a line under a campaign that has been heavily tilted in favour of his chosen successor, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Mr Putin urged citizens to decide which of the four hopefuls can 'as president, bring real good to millions of people, to all citizens of our great motherland'.

'These days you have a chance to independently answer these questions and make a conscious choice,' he said.

His popularity and the Kremlin's control over broadcast media are expected to ensure an easy win for Mr Medvedev.

Mr Putin has said he will take the No. 2 post of prime minister after stepping down as required by the constitution.

The three other candidates in the race are Communist Gennady Zyuganov, ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Andrei Bogdanov, who poses as a liberal but is widely seen as just a Kremlin-backed contender.

Two prominent liberal opposition figures, Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champion, and Mikhail Kasyanov, Mr Putin's first prime minister who later became a critic, have been barred on technicalities. -- AP