As of: March 16, 2024, 10:39 p.m
By: Florian Naumann, Christian Stör, Bedrettin Bölükbasi, Nail Akkoyun
Comments
Press
Split
Voting in occupied territories is scheduled.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities are reporting several protests against ballot boxes.
The news ticker.
Putin's authorities report protests in Russia election: Medvedev rails against "traitors"
Occupied territories
of
Ukraine
: Illegal sham voting planned
for
Russia election
Manipulation
and
election fraud
: Independent monitoring organizations expect sham elections and victory for Vladimir Putin
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.
Update from March 16, 10:35 p.m.: According to a report by
Radio Free Europe
, Russian authorities and independent media
reported more than 30 cases of protests at polling stations on the second day of the Russian election.
In particular, there have been attempts to destroy ballot papers in various ways or to make them illegible.
Voters allegedly told the exile portal
Meduza
that they were not allowed to fold ballot papers;
“Guards” were positioned next to ballot boxes.
A member of an electoral commission tried to reassure the website: they were simply asked not to fold the pieces of paper so that they could be “accepted by the scanning device”.
The Russian NGO “Golos” has meanwhile published a video from a polling station in the Krasnodar region that is said to show a woman putting several ballot papers into an urn.
We’re talking about “vote stuffing.”
The information could not be independently verified.
Putin's authorities report protests in Russia election: Medvedev rails against "traitors"
Update from March 16, 6:53 p.m.:
According to authorities, there have already been several protests and attempts to disrupt the presidential election in Russia.
In 20 cases, people poured liquids into ballot boxes to make the ballot papers unusable, said commission chairwoman Ella Pamfilova.
There were also eight attempts at arson at polling stations.
The head of the authority insulted those responsible as “scumbags” and threatened them with prison sentences of up to five years.
Pamfilova explained that Ukrainian secret services and masterminds in Western countries were behind the interference attempts, without substantiating her claims.
Security Council deputy chief Dmitry Medvedev spoke of “traitors” who provided aid to Russia’s “deviant” enemies.
There were also accusations towards the West on Saturday from Sergei Lavrov's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Russia's electoral authorities reassure Putin: astonishing numbers on the second day of voting
Update from March 16, 4:43 p.m.:
The authorities apparently want to allay one of Vladimir Putin's concerns quite early in the course of the Russian election: Already on Saturday afternoon - the second of three voting days - the deputy head of the Russian election commission reported a voter turnout of more than 50 percent.
Putin is likely to use this value as an indicator of the population's approval of his war in Ukraine.
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However, independent observers point to systematic fraud.
For example, employees of state-owned companies should be urged to go to the polls.
According to independent media, hundreds of companies published group photos of their employees in front of polling stations.
In the occupied territories there is probably massive pressure on Ukrainian people to take part in the - illegal - vote.
Putin lets people choose: Mysterious calls from “ghost profiles” on social networks
Update from March 16, 2 p.m.:
In the Russian election, inactive accounts on the Russian social media service VKontakte are apparently also being used to encourage people to take part.
As the independent portal
Meduza
reports, hundreds of posts with the hashtag #AsAFamily appeared on the platform on Friday.
This encouraged users to take part in the election and, in some cases, explicitly asked them to vote for Vladimir Putin.
In all cases, the accounts are said to have been inactive for years - often even more than a decade.
One of the accounts belonged to a resident of St. Petersburg who died in 2010 at the age of 34.
Vladimir Putin should be elected at any cost.
Apparently people who have already died are also advertising for this purpose.
© Gavriil Grigorov/dpa
Update from March 16, 10:00 a.m.:
The border region of Belgorod also reported shelling on the second day of the Russian election.
Two people were killed as a result of rocket attacks, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.
During the night he reported several people injured after drone attacks.
Air raid sirens can be heard on videos on social networks.
Photos show fires and damage to buildings.
Putin lets Russia vote: protests in polling stations
Update from March 16, 7:30 a.m.:
The outcome of the Russia election seems to be clear in advance.
The opposition has been excluded by Vladimir Putin.
Nevertheless, opposition members are trying to draw attention to themselves and the manipulated election.
They sometimes use brutal means.
In at least seven polling stations in Russia, voters poured green, antiseptic paint into ballot boxes on the first day of voting, reports the
Moscow Times,
among others .
The perpetrators were arrested by Russian officials immediately after the crime.
According to the report, a man in Rostow is now being investigated for obstructing the right to vote.
He faces five years in prison.
In addition, arson attacks were carried out in at least four polling stations.
An elderly woman was arrested in Moscow for setting fire to a voting booth.
In Saint Petersburg, a young woman threw a Molotov cocktail into a polling station.
According to officials, 13 people were arrested in Russia on Friday for obstructing voting rights, the paper reports.
Russia votes: Putin casts his vote - EU Council President with ironic congratulations
Update from March 15, 6:30 a.m.:
The second day of the presidential election has begun in Russia.
Although the opposition is barred from the election, authorities are nervously monitoring how the Ukraine war and domestic repression will affect approval of President Putin.
Update from March 15, 10:05 p.m.:
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has described the new attacks from the Ukrainian side on the Russian border region of Belgorod on the first day of the presidential election as a senseless attempt to disrupt.
“I am convinced that our people, the people of Russia, will respond to this with even greater cohesion,” Putin said on Friday during a video link with representatives of the National Security Council.
The people in the multi-ethnic state would not allow themselves to be intimidated, said the president.
He wants to be confirmed in office for the fifth time in the vote scheduled for Sunday.
The 71-year-old voted online from his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow.
Numerous civilians were injured in the attacks against the Russian border region of Belgorod and also against the Kursk region that have been ongoing for several days.
Putin announced help for the victims of the attacks.
Ukraine deployed more than 2,500 fighters for the terrorist acts of sabotage, with losses around 60 percent, Putin said.
In addition, 35 tanks and around 40 armored military vehicles were deployed.
According to the Kremlin leader, Ukraine is once again trying to distract from the defeats in its own country with these attacks.
Putin casts his vote and waves at the camera
Update from March 15, 9:35 p.m.:
Russian President Vladimir Putin cast his vote online on the first day of the presidential election in his country.
Footage distributed by the Kremlin showed the longtime Russian leader walking to a desk and sitting at a computer against a backdrop of two Russian flags, before the message "Thank you, you voted successfully" appeared on the screen.
The Kremlin chief then waves at the camera.
candidate |
Government office |
|---|---|
Nikolai Kharitonov |
Duma deputy |
Vladislav Davankov |
Deputy Chairman of the Duma |
Wladimir Putin |
Russian President |
Leonid Slutsky |
Duma member |
Update from March 15, 7:25 p.m.:
UN Secretary General António Guterres has criticized the votes for the Russian presidential election in the areas of Ukraine occupied in violation of international law.
Guterres recalled that the attempt to illegally annex these regions of Ukraine was not valid under international law, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday in New York.
“The United Nations remains steadfastly committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.”
Ironic congratulations to Putin: Michel publishes message to Kremlin
Update from March 15, 5 p.m.:
The presidential elections in Russia are ongoing.
Because the winner of this much-criticized vote has basically been determined, EU Council President Charles Michel sent ironic congratulations to Moscow as a precaution.
“I would like to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his landslide victory in the elections starting today,” Michel mocked on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“No opposition.
No freedom.
No choice,” he added.
And Russia's power apparatus itself isn't making too much effort to maintain the illusion of an exciting election: preparations for Putin's big victory celebration this Monday have been underway on Red Square for days.
Update from March 15, 2:45 p.m.:
Russian election and security authorities reported several incidents during the first day of the presidential election: Several voters poured ink into ballot boxes and thus damaged the ballot papers.
According to the
Moscow Times,
such incidents occurred in the regions of Rostov, Voronezh, the annexed Crimean peninsula and the republic of Karachay-Cherkessia.
Some voters are said to have poured ink, which is called Zelyonka in Russian, into ballot boxes.
Russia's Central Election Commission has already called for better security measures to prevent such incidents.
According to the head of the electoral commission, Ella Pamfilova, the perpetrators said they were promised money and were unaware of the legal consequences of their actions.
According to the
Moscow Times
, authorities said they would decide whether to count the damaged ballots after voting ended on Sunday (March 17).
Greens take a stand on the Russia election: “sham election”
Update from March 15th, 9:00 a.m.:
Omid Nouripour, federal chairman of Alliance 90/The Greens together with Ricarda Lang, commented on the election in Russia in a statement for fr.de from IPPEN.MEDIA: “The Russians should... Choose the weekend - but you have no choice.
Because real opposition members and opponents of the war are not even allowed to compete.
Putin's greatest opponent, Alexei Navalny, died for his fight for a free and democratic Russia.
Even in exile, his confidants are threatened by the Kremlin's henchmen.
I have great respect for the people of Russia who, despite this politics of fear, do not allow themselves to be intimidated and express their protest in many ways – including in the sham election this weekend.”
Update from March 15, 9:00 a.m.:
According to official information, the border region of Belgorod came under fire again on the first day of the Russian election.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, seven Ukrainian missiles were fired.
The Russian state news agency
Ria Novosti
reported that people had to leave the polling stations and seek refuge in shelters.
Illegal sham voting scheduled in occupied areas of Ukraine in Russia election
Update from March 15, 8:25 a.m.:
In the Russia election, the Kremlin also scheduled illegal sham votes in occupied areas of Ukraine.
Kiev protested against the votes held in violation of international law and called on the international community not to recognize the results.
It was said that the elections were illegitimate and had no legal consequences.
They would also give reason not to recognize Putin as president.
Putin facing re-election: More than 112 million people can vote in Russia
First report from March 15th:
Moscow - After more than two years of war in Ukraine, Russia is holding a presidential election for three days starting Friday (March 15th), 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.
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.
“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”.
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)