As of: March 15, 2024, 6:28 p.m
By: Sarah El Sheimy
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Press
Split
The Russian election should have the highest possible turnout.
For this purpose, competitions are advertised with expensive gifts for voters.
Moscow – For the first time this year, the Russian presidential election is scheduled to last three days.
In this way, the Kremlin wants to achieve a particularly high turnout in the vote, the winner of which is already considered certain.
However, the length of the election is not the only means the government uses to give the result as much legitimacy as possible.
The Moscow Times
reports that many citizens in Russia would also be lured to polling stations with free lunches, concert tickets and raffles.
According to the paper, raffle prizes can vary from bags of candy to a new car.
The offers also vary locally.
In the Siberian city of Omsk, first-time voters between the ages of 18 and 24 would receive a free ticket for a Ferris wheel ride, while residents of the Altai region can hope for sanctioned goods such as iPhones and “Dyson” hair styling machines if they vote at a polling station take a photo of yourself and upload it to social media.
Elections in Russia: Putin lures voters to the voting booths with gifts
In the Sverdlovsk region, smartphones from China, apartments, motorcycles and cars are being touted as prizes, reports
The Moscow Times
.
In order to win a prize, voters would have to take part in a quiz about the history of the region on the day of the election.
There is also talk of actions in the city of Strezhivoy and the autonomous Russian republic of Tatarstan.
A Russian soldier casting his vote at a polling station in Moscow.
© Alexander Zemlianichenko
For many Russia experts, this is evidence of a suspicion that was already harbored in advance: that the Putin regime is carrying out a large-scale manipulation operation.
The election was one of the most manipulated votes in Russia in the past 30 years, stated Sabine Fischer from the Politics and Science Foundation in an interview with
tagesschau.de
.
Events planned to coincide with the Russia election protest
In addition to attractive prices offered by local authorities for voting, many free events are also planned for midday on election Sunday,
The Moscow Times
writes.
These would overlap with the “Lunch Against Putin” protest, which supporters of the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny have called for.
There are also said to be protests against Putin and the election in Russia in Germany.
Among other things, there was a lunchtime call against Putin in Berlin.
Alexei Navalny had called for the protest before his death.
According to the “Free Navalny” alliance, flash mobs are planned to appear at polling stations and thus disrupt the vote.
(ses)