After more than two decades in power, Russian President Vladimir Putin was confirmed for the fifth time in a controversial election with 87.28 percent of the vote.
“This is a record result” said returning officer Ella Pamfilova on Monday when presenting the results. Participation is also at the highest level ever at 77.44 percent. The 71-year-old, who was first elected in 2000, can rule for another six years.
According to the Election Commission, a total of more than 76 million Russians voted for Putin. About 114 million people were eligible to vote. According to Pamfilova, the high turnout is a response by Russian citizens to the pressure exerted on the country from outside.
Voting under pressure
According to reports from independent observers, state institutions and companies in particular exerted enormous pressure on employees to vote. “We have never seen a presidential election that did so little to meet the standards of the constitution,” said the independent organization of election observers “Golos”.
Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who lives in exile, doubts the results. “These are results that no normal person in Russia can believe in.”said the former oil entrepreneur in Berlin. By his estimate, at most every second voter participated; He estimates Putin’s electorate in Russia at 30 to 40 percent.
Pamfilova, on the other hand, described the accusations of unfree and unfair elections as “primitive cave thinking.”. These prejudices are only fueled by the West, which foresaw Putin’s victory but disagreed with the outcome.
“We are convinced that our country is free, with free will and a highly educated people, that neither pressure from within nor without will be tolerated,” she said. The Kremlin also rejected criticism of the vote.
In fact, Putin’s victory was widely expected given the constraints on the opposition. After German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz also refrained from sending a congratulatory telegram to Putin.
Switzerland and Germany do not congratulate
You will search in vain for an explanation about the Russian presidential elections on the X account of Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis or Federal President Viola Amherd. The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EDA) has also not yet commented.
A similar picture emerges in Germany: “The chancellor did not offer any congratulations. And you know that we consider these so-called elections in Russia last weekend as neither free nor fair.” spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said when asked by journalists in Berlin.
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced new EU punitive measures against Putin’s supporters. “Today we will introduce sanctions in view of the death of Alexei Navalny,” the Green politician said during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
“The elections in Russia were an election without elections.” Baerbock explained that the election process not only exposes President Putin’s nefarious actions against his own people, but also against the Charter of the United Nations. The fact that so-called elections were also held in parts of Ukraine, parts of Moldova and parts of Georgia was contrary to international law.
Congratulations from authoritarian countries
The French government has also criticized the circumstances of the Russian presidential election. The expected outcome was noted, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement in Paris on Monday. ‘The conditions for free, pluralistic and democratic elections have once again not been met’ it continued.
In contrast, the head of the Kremlin received congratulations from several authoritarian countries. The heads of state of Nicaragua, Tajikistan and Venezuela were among the first to offer congratulations.
Other benefactors included North Korean head of state Kim Jong Un, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Pyongyang and Tehran supply weapons for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Later, Putin’s most important ally, Chinese state and party leader Xi Jinping, also congratulated his colleague by telephone on the election results. He is confident that Russia under Putin’s leadership can achieve even greater success in the development and construction of the country, Xi said on Chinese state television on Monday.
China and Russia are “strategic partners in the new era”This was explained earlier by the new spokesperson for Beijing’s Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian. Under the leadership of Xi and Putin, relations between the two countries will continue to improve, he said.
This time no observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), whose assessment is important for the international recognition of a result, were invited to the elections. (saw/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.
