At the end of a campaign calibrated to ensure an undisputed victory, Vladimir Putin was re-elected on Sunday for a third consecutive term as President of the Russian Federation.
The Kremlin welcomed the re-election of Vladimir Putin on Monday with more than 87% of the vote.“This is a completely exceptional result for the current president Vladimir Putin (…) and it is an eloquent confirmation of the support of the population of our country for their president”declared the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov.
Responding to a question from a journalist, Dmitri Peskov estimated that Yulia Navalnaïa, who took up the torch from her late husband, Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, had lost her “roots” And “the pulse” Russians. She “is increasingly part of those people who lose their roots, lose their connection with the homeland, lose their understanding of their homeland, no longer feel the pulse of their country”did he declare.
Congratulations and criticism
Vladimir Putin’s victory was notably denounced by the opposition in exile. The team of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, who died in prison, denounced on Sunday the score obtained by Vladimir Putin who “no connection with reality” wrote on X Leonid Volkovformer right-hand man in exile of the late Alexeï Navalny, a few minutes after the announcement of the counting of votes from a quarter of the polling stations.
While the opposition had called for rallies in front of polling stations in memory of Alexeï Navalny, the opponent Sergei Guriev, close to Alexeï Navalny, welcomed:“I have never seen such long queues. Not only in Paris but all over the world. We know that these elections are a scam (…) Putin is a usurper”calling on the international community not to recognize the results of these elections.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the presidents of Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela quickly congratulated Vladimir Putin on his victoryas did the leaders of the ex-Soviet Central Asian countries of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, while the West called the vote a sham.
“China expresses its congratulations”also declared Monday to the press Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairsadding: “We are confident that under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia relations will continue to make progress.”
Also abroad, the British Foreign Minister David Cameron criticized on “illegal holding of elections on Ukrainian territory” but also “lack of choice for voters and lack of independent monitoring by the OSCE. This is not what free and fair elections look like.”
Poland said on Sunday that the Russian presidential election was not “not legal, free and fair”in a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Warsaw adds that the vote took place “in a context of severe repression” and in the occupied territories of Ukraine, in violation of international law.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the systematic repression of Russian civil society, independent media and any hint of opposition, while recalling that the elections took place in the midst of the war against Ukraine. Czech diplomacy also described the vote in the occupied Ukrainian territories as “illegitimate electoral farce” which Prague does not recognize.
“The election in Russia was an election without choice”said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbockbefore a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.
The electoral process, which led to the re-election of Vladimir Putin as Russian president on Sunday, shows “Putin’s infamous action against his own people”she added. “Organizing so-called elections in parts of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova is against international law”also denounced the head of German diplomacy.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, sent congratulations to Mr. Putin as soon as the polls opened on Friday morning.“I would like to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his landslide victory in the elections”quipped Charles Michel on X.
Vladimir Putin’s re-election as Russian president is based on “repression and intimidation”declared Monday in Brussels the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.
For its part, France has reacted and believes that the conditions for a “free, pluralistic and democratic ballot” were not reunited. Paris “regret” furthermore that the election took place “outside any impartial international observation”.
In this context, the Quai d’Orsay welcomes “the courage of the many Russian citizens who peacefully demonstrated their opposition to this attack on their fundamental political rights” and condemns “sentenced” moreover the organization by Moscow “so-called elections in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia” in Crimea, in the city of Sevastopol as well as in part of the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson”.
Putin “drunk with power”
Putin is “drunk with power” and wants “reign forever”castigates Zelensky. “It is clear to everyone that this character, as has happened so often in history, is simply drunk with power and is doing everything he can to rule forever,” the Ukrainian president said in a message on social networks, believing that the Russian presidential election has “no legitimacy”.
Vladimir Putin, in power for almost a quarter of a century, won more than 87% of the votes after counting more than 99% of the polling stations, according to the official Russian agency Ria Novosti, citing the electoral commission. This is his best result, following a vote from which the opposition was excluded.
The 71-year-old master of the Kremlin will be able to run again after this new six-year term, potentially remaining in power until 2036.
ADVERTISEMENTThe leader assured Monday that his country would not allow itself “intimidate” neither “crush”after two years of conflict in Ukraine and crisis with the West.“It doesn’t matter who wants to intimidate us or how much, it doesn’t matter who wants to crush us or how much, our will or our conscience. No one has ever succeeded in doing anything like this in history. This has didn’t work today and won’t work in the future.”assured Mr. Putin during a televised speech.
