MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin achieved a landslide post-Soviet victory in Russia’s election on Sunday, tightening his already tight grip on power in a victory he said showed Moscow was right to defy the West and send troops to Ukraine.
For Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to power in 1999, the results were meant to underscore to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with Russia’s bravery, whether in war or peace, for years to come.
The result means Putin, 71, will begin a new six-year term that would see him overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia’s longest-serving leader for more than 200 years if he completes his term.
Putin won 87.8 percent of the vote, the highest result in Russia’s post-Soviet history, according to a poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) pollster. The Russian Center for Public Opinion Research (VCIOM) puts Putin at 87 percent. The first official results showed that the poll was accurate.
While his victory was never in doubt, the high level of support and turnout was “a bit of a surprise”, said Professor Emeritus of Government and International Relations Graeme Gill from the University of Sydney. This “clearly reflects” an effort to present the election as a major victory for Putin personally and his policies, especially the war in Ukraine, he told CNA’s Asia First on Monday.
Prof Gill noted that most Southern countries, which include countries in the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa, are less supportive of the West when it comes to Ukraine and more likely to side with Russia or leave Russia alone.
“What the results of this election are trying to convey is the view that this is the correct position that they should take, that this is a just war, (that) this is a war supported by the Russian people and therefore this is a war that deserves support in the Global South,” he said.
“But of course, that message will not be accepted by Western countries and many observers.”
The United States, Germany, Britain and other countries said the vote was neither free nor fair because of the jailing of political opponents and censorship.
This aims to consolidate the view that Putin is a popular leader in Russia, and this is important for countries that do not support the West’s position on Ukraine.
Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov was second with just under 4 percent, newcomer Vladislav Davankov was third, and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky was fourth, according to the results.
Putin told his supporters in a victory speech in Moscow that he would prioritize solving tasks related to what he called Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine and would strengthen Russia’s military.
“We have a lot of work ahead. But when we consolidate – no matter who wants to intimidate us, oppress us – no one has ever succeeded in history, they have not succeeded now, and they will never succeed in the future ,” Putin said.
His supporters chanted “Putin, Putin, Putin” when he appeared on stage and “Russia, Russia, Russia” after he delivered his acceptance speech.
Inspired by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison last month, thousands of his opponents staged daytime protests against Putin at polling stations in Russia and abroad.
Putin vowed to punish Ukraine for the attacks as Russians cast their votes Putin told reporters he considered Russia’s elections to be democratic and said the protests Navalny inspired against him had no effect on the election results.
In his first comments on Navalny’s death, Putin also said that Navalny’s passing was a “sad event” and emphasized that he was ready for a prisoner exchange involving the opposition politician.
When asked by NBC, a US TV network, whether his re-election was democratic, Putin criticized the US political and judicial system.
“The whole world is laughing at what happened (in the United States),” he said. “This is just a disaster, not democracy.”
“…Is it democratic to use administrative resources to attack one of the candidates for president of the United States, in part by using the judicial system?” he asked, clearly referring to the four criminal cases against Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The election in Russia comes two years after Putin sparked Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II by ordering the invasion of Ukraine.
The war has been going on for three election days: Ukraine has repeatedly attacked oil refineries in Russia, shelled Russian territory and attempted to penetrate Russia’s borders with proxy forces, an action that Putin said would not go unpunished.Putin said Russia may need to create a zone buffer in Ukraine to prevent similar attacks in the future.
