Questionable result

Putin after election: “Shows trust of the Russians”

(Bild: AP)

Following a presidential election accompanied by allegations of manipulation, Russia's electoral commission has awarded Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin a record result of just under 88% of the vote. This was announced by election supervisor Ella Pamfilova on Sunday evening after almost a quarter of the ballots had been counted. The 71-year-old Putin thus gained more than ten percentage points compared to the 2018 election. Putin himself thanked his compatriots in an initial reaction.

"We are a united team, all Russian citizens who came to the polling stations and voted," Putin said in a speech to his campaign team, which was broadcast on state television. The election results showed the "trust" of Russians in his leadership. At the same time, he emphasized that he wanted to do everything in his power to fulfill the tasks assigned to the leadership, as the state agency Tass further reported.

Russia could now become stronger and more efficient. He would "consolidate" society and then no one would oppress Russia any more, Putin assured. He was certain that all goals would be achieved. Referring to the developments in Ukraine, Putin said that the Russian armed forces were making progress every day. Nevertheless, the army must be strengthened.

(Bild: AP)

Extremely high voter turnout
The result is considered to be the best ever awarded to him. Voter turnout was also a record at over 74 percent. It was the highest figure for a Russian presidential election. However, critics pointed out that it was only achieved through repression, coercion and fraud. The first meaningful results should be available this Monday. As a rule, the forecasts are in line with the result announced at the end.

Observers have classified the vote, which was accompanied by protests, as undemocratic because no genuine opposition candidates were allowed to stand. In addition, there is no freedom of assembly in Russia and the Kremlin-controlled media are controlled by the same regime. Independent media are politically persecuted. Dissenters who criticize Putin's war against Ukraine or the power apparatus risk punishment, including imprisonment.

Competitors as extras
Putin's three competitors were not only all on the Kremlin line, but were also considered to have no chance from the outset. After the polling stations closed, the communist Nikolai Kharitonov was awarded less than four percent of the vote according to the initial results; Vladislav Davankov from the liberal New People party was also below four percent; the ultra-nationalist Leonid Sluzki achieved around three percent.

Putin's competitors acted more as extras.

(Bild: AFP)

114 million people were called to vote, including those in the occupied territories in Ukraine. Putin, now 71, has been in power since 1999, including one term as prime minister. Following a constitutional amendment confirmed in 2020, Putin could run again for a further six years in 2030. A good two years after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, he has a firm grip on the country.

Putin's course is now likely to become even more radical
Putin is likely to present the result as confirmation of his anti-Western and authoritarian course. Domestically, too, the thumbscrews in the country could be tightened even more in order to stifle the protests of Putin's opponents that were visible on the three election days. Tax increases have also been announced to finance the high spending on the war and social policy projects.

The Kremlin leader, who has now been elected for a further six years, is also likely to use the result as a clear incentive to wrest even more territory from Ukraine. Putin has announced his intention to completely seize the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, which have been partially occupied to date. Odessa in the south is also under threat of a Russian occupation attempt.

High value probably due to systematic fraud
In the occupied parts and on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed back in 2014, people also voted in the election, which was criticized as a farce by Putin's opponents. Ukraine and other countries reject the vote, which was organized in violation of international law, as illegal and meaningless. The Foreign Ministry in Kiev called on the international community not to recognize the results.

Shortly after the election, observers raised accusations of fraud.

(Bild: AFP)

Independent observers pointed to systematic fraud behind this high score for Putin. Since the first day of voting on Friday, masses of cases have been documented in which, for example, employees of state-owned companies were pressured to vote and in some cases even had to take photos of their completed ballot papers. Critics also complained that the online process in particular was easy to manipulate. Observers also documented the mass stuffing of pre-filled ballot papers into the ballot boxes.

Little hope for political change
In addition to an even more brutal approach to the invasion of Ukraine, experts expect repression to increase in Russia. There is already no freedom of assembly or free media reporting, and dissidents face imprisonment if they criticize the war or the power apparatus. Above all, however, the opposition has been eliminated because leading figures are in prison camps or have fled into exile abroad. Hopes for political change in Russia have recently been dashed, even after the death of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny.

This lack of freedom in Russia and the synchronization of the Kremlin-controlled media are seen as the most important basis for Putin defending his power. However, political scientist Tatyana Stanovaya expects increasing problems for the Kremlin in keeping a firm grip on the reins of power. Putin's positions are unbalanced, the goals of the war are unclear and there is noticeable interference in private life, Stanovaya wrote in an analysis for the Carnegie think tank. "All this will inevitably create pressure on the regime from within," she said. "This does not mean that the regime will collapse or that there will be mass protests." But the influence of the elites will grow and Putin's importance will diminish.