IRIA News

Russia’s Vladimir Putin declared a record landslide election win in post-Soviet Russia’s history on March 18, 2024, after a three-day-long electoral process spanning 11 different time zones.

The voting process held no suspense as the results rolled in from Russia’s Westernmost Kaliningrad enclave and finalized Putin’s overwhelming majority win. The election ended with a 66.73% turnout, according to Russian election officials.

Vladimir Putin secured every 9 out of 10 votes giving him a record 87.8% approval rate. Nikolai Kharitonov finished second with just more than 4% votes. Newcomer Vladislav Davankov stood in the third spot, and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky secured the fourth position after the results.

The election process in Russia is highly controversial as it occurs amidst a harsh crackdown that has suppressed independent media and prominent human rights organizations. The election has been termed largely ceremonial and one-sided by many independent observers.

There was no significant opposition against the ruling administration. Alexei Navalny, Putin’s only formidable opponent, passed away in a prison in the Arctic in February, while other dissenters find themselves either incarcerated or in exile.

Minimal opposition

Putin was running for the Presidential seat against three nominal opponents from parties aligned with the Kremlin, all of whom have avoided any critique of him or his complete invasion of Ukraine. Leonid Slutsky, Nikolai Kharitonov, and Vladislav Davankov did not pose much of a challenge for the Russian leader, who was guaranteed to secure another six-year term.

Although several candidates had applied to contest the presidential election 2024, CEC’s strict scrutiny decreased the list to four nominees. In the electoral theater of 2024, Ultranationalist Leonid Slutsky from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Vladislav Davankov representing the relatively liberal New People’s Party, and seasoned candidate Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party emerge as the three opponents that Vladimir Putin must face.

Shortly after officially entering the race in December 2023, Slutsky, representing the ultranationalist LDPR, expressed a sense of inevitability about his defeat. “I don’t envision defeating Putin. What would be the purpose?” Slutsky remarked to journalists.

The 56-year-old Russian politician, who serves as the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian lower house, the State Duma, had already anticipated “a significant victory” for Putin.

At 75 years old, Kharitonov holds was the oldest contender on the ballot. A seasoned politician affiliated with the Communist Party; Kharitonov has also served as a State Duma deputy since 1993. He previously ran for president in 2004, securing second place behind Putin with 13.7 percent of the vote.

39 years old, Davankov stood as the youngest among the opposition contenders. Transitioning from a business background to politics, he advocates for enhanced business liberties and an amplified role for regional authorities.

💬 Russia’s MFA Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova:

Russian сitizens did not come to attend some protest or performance.

They came to vote, taking advantage of the opportunity that their country, Russia, has provided to them despite all Western threats.

👉 https://t.co/T2sQnRT6wM pic.twitter.com/UjXKZZwO1d

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) March 18, 2024

In his campaign before the elections, Davankov portrayed himself as a candidate standing against the Kremlin’s stringent restrictions on individual freedoms. He said he supports peace negotiations with Ukraine while emphasizing that such talks should proceed “on our terms and with no rollback,” highlighting the Kremlin’s stance of not giving up the occupied territory.

Two independent presidential candidates, Yekaterina Duntsova and Boris Nadezhdin, had been gaining momentum for their anti-war campaign. Both were expected to put some opposition against Putin, however, both candidates were disqualified by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) before the election process even started.

Victory speech

Addressing supporters in a victory speech delivered in Moscow, Putin outlined his commitment to addressing challenges linked to what he referred to as Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, pledging to bolster the Russian military.

“We face numerous tasks ahead. However, with our unity, no matter the attempts to intimidate or suppress us, history has shown that no one has ever succeeded, nor will they succeed in the future,” Putin asserted.

Supporters chanted “Putin, Putin, Putin” when he appeared on stage and “Russia, Russia, Russia” after he had delivered his acceptance speech.

Putin, the 71-year-old former KGB lieutenant colonel who ascended to power in 1999, emphasized in his speech that the outcome should serve as a signal to the West that they must contend with a resolute Russia, whether in times of conflict or peace, for the foreseeable future.

Congratulations and condemnations

Allies of Russia were swift in extending congratulations to President Vladimir Putin for his election victory, while Western leaders have condemned the “illegitimate” voting process.

Beijing extended congratulations to Putin, emphasizing the significance of the relationship between China and Russia as each other’s primary neighbors and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners in the modern era.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, highlighted that President Xi Jinping and Putin will sustain their frequent interactions to guide both nations in upholding their longstanding amicable relations and enhancing comprehensive strategic coordination.

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also congratulated their Russian counterpart for his ‘decisive’ win in the elections.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell insisted that the election had not been “free and fair” with neither genuine opposition crushed nor international observers present. “This election has been based on repression and intimidation,” Borrell said in a statement.

These days, the Russian dictator imitates another “elections.” Everyone in the world understands that this person, like many others throughout history, has become sick with power and will stop at nothing to rule forever.

There is no evil he would not do to maintain his personal… pic.twitter.com/zu1see37kl

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 17, 2024

Washington also condemned the election process in Russia by stating that “the elections are obviously not free nor fair given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him,” a White House Security Council spokesman said in a statement.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the result as illegitimate. “Everyone in the world understands that this person, like many others throughout history, has become sick with power and will stop at nothing to rule forever,” he said.

Protests and crackdown

Several protests were across Russia as well as several other major cities around the world, during the three-day-long elections. The largest protest was recorded at polling stations in the Russian capital.

In a peaceful protest dubbed “noon against Putin,” thousands of Russians visited their nearby polling stations at noon time to either spoil their ballot or cast a vote for one of the four candidates.

“Noon against Putin” was a protest endorsed by the former opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was supposed to run for elections and died in captivity last month. Many protestors visited Navalny’s gravesite in Moscow during the election days and symbolically registered their support by casting a vote in his name.

Russian law enforcement agencies made several crackdowns before and during the elections, arresting several people for protesting. OVD-Info, an organization tracking crackdowns on protests and arrests in Russia, reported that a minimum of 74 individuals were detained throughout the country on the last day of the election.