As of: March 13, 2024, 12:52 p.m
By: Jens Kiffmeier
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One candidate, few opponents: the elections in Russia are considered a farce.
Nevertheless, Putin needs a good result in the sham vote - to legitimize his power.
Moscow – Scheduled confirmation of office instead of an exciting election thriller: In the upcoming election in Russia, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin can prepare for his re-election.
Due to the lack of serious opposing candidates, the vote was simply a “plebiscitary measure,” the
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
(MDR) quoted the exiled Russian political scientist Jekaterina Schulmann as saying.
Nevertheless, there is certainly a little at stake for Putin.
Because the result will be an indicator of his true power.
Elections will take place in Russia starting next Friday (March 15).
The election lasts three days – a novelty.
The result will then be announced on Sunday (March 18th).
In addition to Vladimir Putin, the nationalist Leonid Slutsky, the communist Nikolai Kharitonov and the businessman Vladislav Davankov are on the ballot.
Kremlin critics see the approval of the three opposing candidates as an attempt to channel discontent among the population and give the election a pluralistic appearance, while the opposition has been violently suppressed for years.
The presidential candidates Boris Nadezhdin and Yekaterina Duntsova, who both openly opposed the military operation in Ukraine, were not admitted - due to alleged formal errors.
And opposition politician Alexei Navalny is dead.
Longer than Stalin: According to surveys, Putin is heading for a record result in the 2024 Russian election
The result in the 2024 Russia election should be correspondingly clear.
The latest polls give Putin a record result.
As the news channel
ntv
reports, citing the Kremlin-affiliated opinion research institute
Wziom
, the incumbent can look forward to an approval rating of 82 percent, while the three other candidates together only get around six percent of the vote.
If the poll numbers are confirmed, it would be the highest result in the history of Russian elections.
Everyone loves Vladimir?
Putin is planning a record result in the Russian election with a lot of staging and manipulation.
© Mikhail Metzel/dpa
With his expected election victory, Putin can also write his name into the history books on another point.
Because if he completes another six-year term in the Kremlin, he will overtake Joseph Stalin, who led the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953.
Putin would then be Russia's longest-serving head of state since Tsarina Catherine the Great in the 18th century.
For Putin, who thinks in historical dimensions and who used this to justify the war in Ukraine, this is certainly a worthwhile goal.
Putin chasing record in Russia election – these are the Russian presidents since 1945
Joseph Stalin (1924-1953)
Nikita Khrushchev (1953-1964)
Leonid Brezhnev (1964-1982)
Yuri Andropov (1982-1984)
Konstantin Chernenko (1984-1985)
Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991)
Boris Yeltsin (1991-1999)
Vladimir Putin (1999-2008)
Dmitry Medvedev (2008-2012)
Vladimir Putin (since 2008)
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Legal procedures keep opponents at bay - why the election is important for the Kremlin
But why is the election necessary at all?
Putin could pursue his historic hunt for record values in other ways than with a threadbare vote on his future.
But many observers see it differently.
Canceling the election and imposing martial law, for example, is not an option for Putin, political scientist Alexander Kynew told
MDR
.
The Kremlin chief maintains his power primarily by oppressing his enemies with the law.
Kynew is certain that if Putin were to declare that he governs the country because he has the power to do so, then this would, conversely, justify acts of violence against those in power themselves.
That's why Putin absolutely needs legal procedures.
The fact that the laws were obviously written in the interests of the regime falls under the carpet.
Putin is putting a lot of effort into a good election result in the Russian election
Against this background, it is not surprising that Putin is investing a lot of time and money in an election campaign despite the expected election results.
Massive support at the ballot box is intended to legitimize Putin's power at home and abroad.
According to media reports, the Kremlin chief wants to achieve a high voter turnout in the Russian election.
A record result is also targeted here.
According to current surveys, around 71 percent of the 112 million eligible voters are willing to take part in the vote.
In recent weeks, the head of state has appeared more frequently in the media and appeared with students, in factories and flew in a nuclear bomber.
However, there was no more television debate with Putin this time than in the past 24 years.
At the end of February, in his annual State of the Nation address, Putin promised billions of rubles to modernize infrastructure, combat poverty and population decline, and digitalization.
Disenchantment with politics is particularly great among young people.
Posters all over the country appeal to the patriotism of Russians and urge them to vote.
“Together we are strong, let’s vote for Russia!” is one of the slogans.
Raffles and entertainment programs are also designed to encourage voters to cast their votes.
At the same time, the Kremlin is warning of possible interference by Ukraine and its Western allies in the election, as the
AFP
news agency reported.
Kremlin wants to keep manipulation of the Russian election to a minimum
Leaked documents published by
Spiegel
and
ZDF
recently revealed how many millions of rubles the Kremlin invested specifically in influencing voters.
Strategy papers, Excel tables and statements revealed how the Kremlin specifically influences the public debate in all areas of social life.
The effort pays off.
The more voters are convinced in advance, the less time and money Putin loyalists have to invest in manipulating the actual election results.
“In a sense,” said historian and Russia expert Mark Galeotti, “there is an attempt to minimize election manipulation on election days through what could be called pre-manipulation.” (
jkf
)