Moscow police tightened security measures near to the city's administration ahead of voting on the candidacy of Sergei Sobyanin for the Moscow mayor post.
Police were deployed next to the Moscow City Duma's building, where the city's parliament deputies will make their vote. Parking next to the building is currently limited, RIA Novosti reported.
The meeting of the city's parliament will begin at 12:00 Moscow time (08:00 GMT). After the voting, Sobyanin is expected to be inaugurated as Moscow's new mayor.
President Dmitry Medvedev picked Sobyanin, 52, to replace long-serving Yury Luzhkov last Friday.
Medvedev sacked Luzhkov on September 28, citing "a loss of confidence."
Moscow City Duma is expected to rubberstamp Sobyanin's appointment on Thursday.
Described in the media as the "dark horse" of Russian politics, Sobyanin served as the governor of the minerals-rich Tyumen region in the early 2000s. In 2005, he became chief of staff to then president Vladimir Putin. He ran Medvedev's election campaign in 2008.