TALLINN, Estonia (AP) – To no one’s surprise, President Vladimir Putin won another six years with a planned landslide election victory amid the harshest opposition crackdown and freedom of speech since the Soviet era. secured the position of government.
In three days of voting, Putin faced three nominal candidates, none of which offered voters any real choice, proceeded with little independent oversight and The election was characterized by a level of pressure not seen before in Russia. This left little room for protest, although some Russians still attempted to defy the authorities.
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Here are some key takeaways from the election:
President Putin had complete control over the election.
According to the Central Election Commission, Putin received 87.28% of the vote, the highest for a Russian president since the collapse of the Soviet Union. His turnout was 77.44% of eligible voters, which was also the highest. All other ballots ended in single digits, and antiwar candidates were not allowed to run.
State news agency RIA Novosti said the vote “as expected… took place in an atmosphere of unprecedented national unity.”
There was no footage from surveillance cameras at polling stations depicting voter fraud or stuffing of ballot boxes, access to footage was more restricted than in previous elections, and there were few independent observers to document irregularities. .
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a concert commemorating his presidential election victory and the 10th anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea on Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 18, 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin captured Crimea from Ukraine for the first time in 10 years. Previously, this act skyrocketed his popularity but was widely condemned as illegal.
But voter intimidation still existed, Russia’s prominent independent election watchdog Golos said, following reports that citizens were being pressured to vote in more than 60 regions of Russia. He pointed out that there was. Golos said voters were searched at polling places on Sunday, with some reporting police checking their ballots before voting or peering over their shoulders as they filled out their ballots.
“There has never been an event of this magnitude in a Russian election,” Golos said in a statement Monday. A total of 89 people were detained in 22 cities on Sunday, according to OVD Info, a rights group that monitors political arrests.
Abbas Galliamov, a former Putin speechwriter and political analyst, said the 71-year-old Russian leader “chose to demonstrate his strength to his adversaries.”
There have also been reports of vandalism at polling stations, including attempted arson and people pouring ink into ballot boxes. On Sunday, a woman was injured after setting off a firecracker in a polling station bathroom. At least 34 people were detained over the weekend on suspicion of damaging property, according to Russian independent news agency Verstka.
Stalled opposition parties continue to stage protests
The Kremlin has significantly paralyzed Russia’s opposition in recent years. Top figures are either in prison or in exile, and the death last month of Alexei Navalny, Putin’s most vocal opponent, raises further questions about what lies ahead for them. caused it.
On Sunday, some Russians gathered at polling stations at home and abroad at noon local time, forming long lines in line with a strategy favored by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other Putin opponents. .
Analysts said the “midday anti-Putin” tactic would be a test of how well the exiled opposition group could rally supporters amid a crackdown where people fear mass demonstrations. .
Its success was difficult to measure. Navalny’s team shared photos of lines at Russian polling stations and embassies abroad as proof that many people had heeded their call. Reporters from The Associated Press and other independent media interviewed voters at multiple locations, and the voters admitted they showed up to participate in the protests.
But Russian officials and state media interpreted the line in their favor, saying it showed growing interest in the election.
Although the protests could not have had a direct impact on the Kremlin or the outcome of the election, they showed that such “quiet resistance” will continue at home and abroad, according to the Carnegie Institute for Russia and Eurasian Studies. said senior researcher Andrei Kolesnikov. center.
“The message to political manipulators is this: ‘We are here, this is who we are, we are not giving up, and we are ready to creatively take advantage of unexpected opportunities (to protest),” Kolesnikov said. “There is,” he said. He said.
Perhaps an unpopular move is ahead.
Galliamov noted that Putin appeared relaxed at the post-election press conference, perhaps realizing that “he has secured his future for at least six years.”
Putin expressed confidence and even mentioned Navalny’s name – something he had avoided saying publicly in recent years – before releasing him in a prisoner swap just days before his enemy’s death. He made it clear that he supported the idea.
Galliamov said officials would likely take a period of leave to celebrate the victory, but that unpopular moves could lie ahead.
After his re-election in 2018, President Putin famously raised the pension age for workers, a decision that proved deeply unpopular and sparked protests.
Before this year’s elections, decisions were made to “cover public dissatisfaction”, such as stopping price rises and not announcing the redeployment of troops to Ukraine, but now all that could change. he said.
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The crackdown on opponents is expected to continue.
Some analysts have suggested that Putin could further test NATO’s resolve during his fifth term in office.
