By Burnett Munthali
President Vladimir Putin yesterday extended his rule over Russia until 2030, using a heavily stage-managed election with no real opposition to claim overwhelming public support for his domestic dominance and his invasion of Ukraine.
Western governments condemned the election, and some Russians tried to turn the vote into a protest by forming long lines at polling stations at noon. Ukraine sought to cast its own vote of sorts, firing a volley of exploding drones at Moscow and other targets. In
But the Kremlin brushed those challenges aside and released results claiming that Putin had won 87 percent of the vote, an even higher number than in the four previous elections in which he ran.
In a news conference after the voting, Putin commented for the first time on the death of the imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, calling it an “unfortunate incident.” (Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, waited in line for hours to vote in Berlin.)
The extent of the public’s true support for Putin was hard to judge, with opposition candidates barred from running — the three other candidates on the ballot didn’t criticize Mr. Putin — and the work of independent poll observers reduced to its lowest level since the days of the Soviet Union.
Putin is set to use his new six-year term to further cement his control of Russian politics and to press on with the war in Ukraine. If he finishes the term, he will become the longest-serving Russian leader since Catherine the Great in the 1700s.
Putin, triumphant, called for defeat
One day after declaring victory in a performative election, President Vladimir Putin signaled that the war against Ukraine would continue to dominate his rule and called for bringing the people of eastern Ukraine “back to their home family.”
The display of nationalistic fervor yesterday, before a crowd of thousands in Moscow’s Red Square, came after a three-day election whose outcome was never in doubt. Putin’s three puppet opponents praised him at the event, in front of a crowd made up partly of government workers, students and others who had been given tickets.
The authorities said Putin had won more than 87 percent of the vote. For the most part, Russians do appear publicly supportive of Putin, though they have been given no real alternative. But many are also concerned about higher taxes and greater repression and are very worried about another military draft, as Putin doubles down on his invasion.
During his speech, Putin raised the prospect of a “security zone” on Ukrainian territory that Russia does not yet control. Analysts believe that such a buffer zone would involve capturing parts of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which could require a new draft.
