Putin wins Russia election in landslide with no serious competition
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election, securing 87.8% of the vote
- The election was criticized for not being free or fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship
- Tensions with Ukraine were a central theme, with Putin vowing to prioritize resolving tasks associated with Russia's 'special military operation' in Ukraine
- The election was marked by protests inspired by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison last month
- Putin has consolidated power through domestic repression and confrontation with the West, and his re-election is almost certain
SUMMARY
Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election, securing 87.8% of the vote. The election was criticized by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other nations for not being free or fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship. The election comes amid tensions with Ukraine, with Putin vowing to prioritize resolving tasks associated with Russia's 'special military operation' in Ukraine. The election was also marked by protests inspired by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison last month. The West views Putin as an autocrat and a killer, while Putin portrays the war in Ukraine as part of a centuries-old battle with a declining West. Russian President Vladimir Putin is running for a fifth term in office, having built up a system of domestic repression and confrontation with the West over the past two decades. He has consolidated power by bringing oligarchs to heel, banning real opposition, and turning Russia into an authoritarian state. His most prolific critic, Alexei Navalny, died in a prison colony last month, and other opponents are serving jail sentences or have fled into exile. Putin's re-election is almost certain, and his sights remain set on shaping a new world order. Vladimir Putin has been president of Russia since 1999, and is expected to win his fifth term in the upcoming election. The election process has been criticized for lack of competition and restrictions on fundamental freedoms, with state-run media favoring Putin and opposition candidates facing disqualification. The 2020 constitutional referendum effectively allowed Putin to run for two more six-year terms after 2024, potentially keeping him in power until 2036. The political system in Russia is a semi-presidential system, with the president elected by popular vote in a two-round system every six years. The last presidential election in 2018 was well-administered but restricted in terms of fundamental freedoms and lack of competition, according to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election observers.