Moscow, Mar 18:
President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide victory in Russia’s election on March 17, winning 87.8% of the vote in Russia’s election, cementing his already tight grip on power in a win he said showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine.
With just under 4% of the vote, communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov finished second, followed by rookie Vladislav Davankov in third and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky in fourth.
According to election officials, When the polls closed at 1800 GMT, the national turnout was 74.22%, exceeding the 67.5% recorded in 2018.
The outcome means Putin is set to embark on a new six-year term that will see him overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia’s longest-serving leader, if the 71-year-old completes the term. Putin, a former KGB lieutenant-colonel who rose to power in 1999, made it clear that the result should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia – whether in war or peace – for many more years to come.
In his victory speech, Putin told his supporters that he would prioritise resolving tasks associated with what he called Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine and would strengthen the Russian military.
“The whole world is laughing at what is happening in the United States, he said and strongly criticised the US political and judicial systems.
Over 125,000 Russian citizens have cast their ballots in the presidential election in 111 countries as of 10 a.m. Moscow time (07:00 GMT) yesterday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked all Russians who came to the polling stations and voted in the presidential election.
“First of all, I want to thank the citizens of Russia. We are all one team. [I want to thank] all the citizens of Russia who came to the polling stations and voted,” Putin said at his election headquarters.
He also noted that the source of power in Russia is its people.
“As of 10:00 Moscow time on March 17, 2024: 125,428 people voted abroad at 230 polling stations in 111 countries,” Zakharova said on Telegram.
Given the time difference, a number of sites will only open today, the spokeswoman said, adding that “even this data is a response to all those who have tried to spread misinformation or distort the voting process.” The three-day voting in the Russian presidential election started on Friday morning. In addition to incumbent President Vladimir Putin, the candidates include Leonid Slutsky, the chairman of the lower house international affairs committee, Nikolay Kharitonov, the chairman of the lower house Far East and Arctic development committee, and lower house Deputy Chairman Vladislav Davankov.
After the results were declared, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other nations claimed that the vote was neither free nor fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship.
