Thousands of people took part in the silent protest against the re-election of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow and St. Petersburg on the last day of Russia’s presidential elections. Those close to opposition activist Alexei Navalny, who died in the prison camp, reported long lines at polling stations at 12:00 local time (10:00 CET) during the ‘Lunch against Putin’ campaign organized by the Kremlin’s opponent team on Sunday. in cities with more than a million inhabitants. Russian voters responded en masse to the call to show their rejection of Putin by attending the lunch.
There were also numerous participants in the actions in many other Russian cities. Navalny’s team showed numerous videos and photos of the actions in a livestream on YouTube. Opposition figure Leonid Volkov, a close confidant of Navalny in exile in the Baltics, spoke of an “explosion” of opposition to a fifth term for Putin.
A line had also formed outside polling station 31 in Moscow, as a reporter from the German Press Agency reported on the spot. The constituency is small, but over fifty people showed up at lunch.
These Muscovites come to the polling station at noon sharp for the ‘Noon against Putin’ campaign. Half an hour later, the street in front of the entrance is just as empty as before. pic.twitter.com/ZLABQgOQ2h
— Mareike Müller (@MareMueller) March 17, 2024
The opposition suggested that voters would invalidate the ballot papers by ticking a number of the four candidates. There was also the option of using a random generator on the mobile phone, invented by Navalny, who performed a candidate name.
Navalny’s team complained of mass fraud in the elections. According to the Navalny team, the action against Putin should also demonstrate that, according to many independent observers, turnout information is being manipulated.
Authorities in Russia had sometimes warned about such protests and threatened people with charges of extremism. However, the situation remained peaceful. Initially, nothing was known about any arrests. In some cases, voters published ballots on social networks with the word murderer next to Putin’s name. Some people simply wrote Navalny’s name on the ballot paper. An elderly man said, referring to the opposition leader who died in February: “My president is no longer among the living.” Navalny is buried in Moscow. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
