by Andrea Pinto
Nothing stopped Vladimir Putin, with almost 90% (between 87% and 90%) of the votes, the modern-day tsar reconfirms himself at the helm of the nation for the fifth time, setting a record: 24 years in power without interruption . What is certain is that the victory was already clearly written since there were no credible opposing candidates.
They only played a cosmetic role, to decree pseudo-democratic elections; the communist Nikolai Kharitonov, in second position, stopped at 4,7%, that of Gente Nuova, Vladislav Davankov, at 3,6% and that of the Liberal Democratic Party Leonid Slutsky at 2,5%. Voter turnout is estimated at over 73%, compared to the 67,5% recorded in the previous presidential elections, in 2018. While the electronic voting data is still awaited.
Between arrests and mysterious deaths, Vladimi Putin was thus able to easily pass the electoral exam, consolidating his power and projecting his ambitions to the next elections in 2030. A period of time which could, however, be interrupted by the outcome, which is not to be taken for granted, of the war in Ukraine and age, Putin will turn 7 on October 72th.
The protests of Alexei Navalny's followers produced some sporadic skirmishes at the polling stations and some queues at 12.00, as the wife of the most illustrious opponent, who recently died in the most remote prison in Siberia, had requested from Berlin.
As far as possible, the Ukrainians tried to ruin Putin's party by launching drone attacks on the border regions, also triggering an alarm on Moscow's airports.
In the evening, Putin then went to the electoral campaign headquarters and from that symbolic place he thanked all Russians for their "total trust", promising an even stronger country. A warning was also issued to our opponents: "No one will intimidate or crush us." Putin wanted to mention, ironically, even his most fearsome opponent, Navalny: his passing was a "sad event".
Subscribe to our newsletter!