Kremlin plans to boost voter turnout in the country's regional elections have been scrapped over fears that opposition candidates could be pushed into victory.

The Russian government had planned to launch initiatives encouraging Russians to head to polls in 16 regions scheduled to hold gubernatorial elections this September, Russia's Vedomosti newspaper reported Thursday.

The program will instead be canceled in five of the 16 regions where candidates from President Putin's ruling United Russia party face serious opposition, an unnamed Kremlin source told the outlet.