As of: March 15, 2024, 4:36 a.m
By: Nail Akkoyun
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In the midst of the Ukraine war, Russia is holding elections.
A victory for Vladimir Putin seems inevitable despite allegations of election fraud and manipulation.
Manipulation
and
election fraud
: Independent monitoring organizations expect sham elections in Russia
Protests
in
the Russian election
: Team of the late Kremlin critic Navalny calls for action
As the Russian army continues its invasion in the Ukraine war, Vladimir Putin wants to secure his fifth term in office in the Russian election.
Moscow - After more than two years of war in Ukraine, Russia is holding a presidential election for three days starting Friday (March 15), the winner of which has already been determined: Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin.
According to experts, the 71-year-old could achieve record results and thus secure his fifth term in office.
Real opposition politicians are excluded from the election, have fled abroad, are in prison - or are dead. The few who are allowed to take part in the election are considered loyal to the Kremlin or do not pose a real threat to Putin.
candidate |
Government office |
|---|---|
Nikolai Kharitonov |
Duma deputy |
Vladislav Davankov |
Deputy Chairman of the Duma |
Wladimir Putin |
Russian President |
Leonid Slutsky |
Duma member |
Putin facing re-election: More than 112 million people can vote in Russia
The Russian election is scheduled for three days: from March 15th to 17th, a total of more than 112 million people are called to vote - including 4.5 million people in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, which were annexed in violation of international law.
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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during an interview on March 12, 2024. © Gavriil Grigorov/Imago
“Mock elections” in Russia: Election observation organization expects Putin’s victory to be manipulated
As with previous votes, large-scale fraud is expected this time - also because there will be no on-site control by independent international election observation.
Online voting is considered particularly susceptible to manipulation, which is why critics of the Russian population advise against it.
The vote is so far removed from democratic standards that some only refer to it as a “sham election”.
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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.
Vladimir Putin also called on his compatriots to vote: “Only you, the citizens of Russia, determine the fate of the fatherland,” said the president in a televised speech from which Russian media quoted on Thursday morning.
The elections are “a step into the future”.
Russia election protests?
Navalny's team calls for action on election day
Supporters of the late Alexei Navalny and other opposition members are calling on people to appear 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.
Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya also called for protests.
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 attended 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, however, critical voices and dissidents have usually been arrested immediately if they publicly express their dissatisfaction in any way.
(nak/dpa)