As of: March 14, 2024, 1:59 p.m
By: Stefan Krieger
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Split
Russia's presidential election this weekend is neither free nor fair.
It is primarily intended to strengthen Putin's power in the middle of the war.
Moscow – Russians and the people in the territories annexed by Russia are called on to go to the polls.
Already in advance there is no one who could pose a serious obstacle to another six-year rule of Vladimir Putin.
And there is hardly anyone who doubts that Russia's rulers will be successful.
How is the Russia election going - and when will the winner be announced?
Russia's Central Election Commission has scheduled the election for three days: from March 15 to 17, a total of more than 112 million people are called to vote.
4.5 million people alone are expected to take part in the election in the Ukrainian territories that were annexed in violation of international law - including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.
In addition, there are around two million eligible voters in other countries.
Russia spans eleven time zones;
The election begins in the far east and ends at 7 p.m. CET in the west in the Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.
As the last polling stations close, forecasts will be published that most likely point to a landslide victory for Putin.
The electoral commission wants to announce the final result by March 28th at the latest.
Soldiers in Azerbaijan take part in early voting for the 2024 Russian presidential election.
© IMAGO/Russian Defense Ministry
The sham votes in the occupied territories are contrary to international law and therefore not internationally recognized.
The voting there has already begun.
What exactly makes the Russia election so unfair?
As with previous votes, large-scale fraud is expected this time - also because there will be no on-site monitoring by independent international election observers.
Online voting is considered particularly vulnerable to manipulation, which is why Kremlin critics advise Russians against it.
The independent election observation organization “Golos”, which has been branded a “foreign agent” in Russia for years, has also expressed criticism elsewhere: In the individual regions, “mass” pressure is being exerted in advance on employees of large, partly state-owned companies, so that they can cast their votes and thus increase voter turnout, according to a recently published report.
If you look at the data from the Russian state polling institute Vziom, the Kremlin is aiming for a participation of more than 70 percent.
Who is running as a candidate in the Russia election?
candidate |
Government office |
|---|---|
Nikolai Kharitonov |
Duma deputy |
Vladislav Davankov |
Deputy Chairman of the Duma |
Wladimir Putin |
Russian President |
Leonid Slutsky |
Duma member |
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Above all, independent observers point out that many real opposition politicians have either fled abroad or been arrested in Russia and sentenced to sometimes draconian prison sentences.
The death of imprisoned Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who himself wanted to become a presidential candidate a few years ago, caused particular horror in mid-February.
Are protests to be expected in the Russia election?
In fact, supporters of the late Navalny and other opposition members are calling on Russians to show up at the polling stations at exactly 12 noon on election day.
They hope that the long queues will show how dissatisfied there is in the country.
Whether the campaign will be successful remains to be seen.
It is feared that arrests will be made.
It is now considered impossible that images like those from Navalny's funeral could be repeated in the near future.
Thousands of people came to the funeral at the beginning of March and, to the surprise of many observers, openly chanted anti-Kremlin chants such as “No to war!” and “Russia without Putin!”
Since the beginning of the war, critics and dissidents have usually been arrested immediately if they publicly express their dissatisfaction in any way.
What will happen after the Russia election?
The 71-year-old Putin then secured six more years at the helm of Russia - and can theoretically run again in 2030.
In order to make as many terms of office possible, the Kremlin chief had the constitution changed almost four years ago.
After the presidential election, a new government is traditionally appointed.
Some political scientists assume that the repression against critics in Russia will increase after the election.
Russian political scientist Andrei Kolesnikov said in a media briefing organized by the German Sakharov Society: “This regime will undoubtedly develop exclusively in a bad direction.
It will not allow any vulnerabilities.
It won't liberalize, it won't normalize.
And that is exactly where the danger lies.” In his assessment, Putin’s Russia is now more than just an authoritarian state: “There are definitely elements of totalitarianism or neo-totalitarianism.”
(skr/dpa)