Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to win in a record post-Soviet landslide on Sunday and extend his rule for at least another six years, according to exit polls.
President Putin received 87.8% of the vote. According to exit polls As voting by the Foundation for Public Opinion (FOM) closed on Sunday. This was the highest turnout in Russia’s post-Soviet history, and the first official results suggest that FOM’s initial polls are accurate. Reuters reported Sunday.
A preliminary statement from Russia’s Central Election Commission said Putin received about 87% of the votes and was deemed the winner of the election. According to multiple media. The commission also reportedly announced that nationwide voter turnout was about 75%.
The result is expected to give Putin his fifth term in office since he was first elected as Russia’s president more than 20 years ago. At the end of 1999. According to Reuters, the victory makes Putin the longest-serving Russian leader since Catherine the Great in 1796, and surpasses the record held by former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
Under the Russian constitution before the Putin administration, the presidential term of office was limited to two consecutive four-year terms, but under the Putin administration, amendments made in 2008 extended the presidential term to six years. 2020 revision deleted the rule According to Reuters, a president cannot serve more than two terms.
According to FOM’s exit poll, communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov came in second place with just under 5% of the vote, followed by Vladislav Davankov of the New People’s Party in third place with just over 3% of the vote. According to exit polls, ultranationalist Leonid Slutsky came in fourth place.
Putin’s victory was not surprising, as two other official opponents had previously been excluded from the vote due to their opposition to the invasion of Ukraine.
The election sparked massive protests on Sunday from thousands of people who tried to vote against President Putin.
Opposition to Putin has increased since the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic penal colony last month. Mr. Navalny supported the protests, which were planned days before his death.
In the Kremlin, Denied accusation Other Russian opposition leaders and Western governments have said Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.
Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, took part in Sunday’s protests and vowed to continue fighting against Putin.
“I want to say a big thank you to all the wonderful, wonderful people who stood with me in line at the voting booth for six full hours today, starting at 12:00 noon. Thank you for coming, crying and laughing. Thank you for constantly shouting “Navalny” and saying “I’m with you” and saying I gave you hope back,” she said. I wrote it in the post on social media.
“In fact, of course, the opposite is true. It is you who give me hope that all is not in vain and that we will continue to fight. Thank you to everyone who came from all cities around the world. You are my support and sustenance. I love you all very much,” she added.
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