While the head of the Russian Electoral Commission welcomed, this Monday, the “record” score of Vladimir Putin, re-elected without opposition with a score of 87.29% of the vote, France takes note of this result.
“The electoral process in Russia took place in the context of increased repression against civil society and any form of opposition to the regime, ever-increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of expression. "ban on the operation of independent media", regrets the Quai d'Orsay, adding: "The political opponent Alexeï Navalny died a few weeks before this election, in particular following the tightening of his detention conditions by the Russian authorities.
Candidates opposed to the continuation of the war in Ukraine were not allowed to compete in the election, significantly reducing its pluralistic character.
International standards in terms of equal access for candidates to the media during the campaign were not respected.”
And to conclude: “The conditions for a free, pluralist and democratic election have once again not been met.
France salutes the courage of the many Russian citizens who peacefully demonstrated their opposition to this attack on their fundamental political rights.”
Furthermore, Paris regretted that, "contrary to its international commitments, Russia decided not to invite the observation mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), thus leading to the election taking place outside of any impartial international observation.”
Illegal elections in the occupied territories
In addition, the Quai d'Orsay condemned "the organization by Russia of so-called "elections" in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia: in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as in part of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.
And according to Paris, “The illegal organization of so-called “elections” in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia constitutes a new violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
France does not recognize and will never recognize the holding and results of these so-called “elections” and reaffirms its attachment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
France also condemned Russia's installation of polling stations in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as in the Transnistria region of the Republic of Moldova, "without the consent of the Georgian authorities and Moldova.
China and Iran in support of Putin
Conversely, China congratulated Putin and is banking on strengthening ties between the two countries.
For Chinese President Xi Jinping, this re-election is a reflection of the Russians' “full support” for their president, with Beijing saying it is convinced that relations between the two countries “will continue to progress” in the future.
“In recent years, the Russian people have united to overcome challenges. Your re-election proves the Russians' full support for you,” according to a congratulatory message from Xi Jinping reported by Chinese state television CCTV.
“We are convinced that, under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, relations between China and Russia will continue to progress,” Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters earlier. Foreign Affairs.
China and Russia are “comprehensive strategic cooperation partners,” he stressed.
According to Vladimir Putin, Russia and China have “many points of convergence in terms of economics and foreign policy”.
In Beijing, the spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy recalled Monday that this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"The two heads of state will continue to maintain close exchanges, lead the two countries to maintain their long-standing good-neighborly friendship, deepen comprehensive strategic coordination, and promote the continued development of China-Russia relations." “, he assured.
In line with China, unsurprisingly, Iran also welcomed Putin's “solid victory” in the Russian presidential election.
“The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran sincerely congratulated Vladimir Putin on his solid victory and re-election as President of the Russian Federation,” the official IRNA news agency said.