Russia’s Central Election Commission has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has won his fifth term with a record number of votes.
The results on Monday came after Putin unleashed the country’s harshest crackdown on the opposition and free speech since Soviet times.
Only three token candidates – and no one who opposes his war in Ukraine – were allowed to run against Putin as he sought another six years in power.
Putin hailed overwhelming preliminary results as an indication of “trust” and “hope” in him — while critics saw them as another reflection of the preordained nature of the election.
He said at a meeting with his campaign staff after the polls closed: “Of course, we have lots of tasks ahead.
“But I want to make it clear for everyone: When we were consolidated, no one has ever managed to frighten us, to suppress our will and our self-conscience.
“They failed in the past and they will fail in the future.”
Putin has led Russia as president or prime minister since December 1999, a tenure marked by international military aggression and an increasing intolerance for dissent.
Russia’s Central Election Commission said that with nearly 100% of all precincts counted, Putin got 87.29% of the vote.
The polls have closed in Russia, following the illegal holding of elections on Ukrainian territory, a lack of choice for voters and no independent OSCE monitoring.
This is not what free and fair elections look like.— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) March 17, 2024
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Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova said that nearly 76 million voters cast their ballots for Putin, his highest vote tally ever.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un along with the presidents of Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela quickly congratulated Putin on his victory, as did the leaders of the ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, while the West dismissed the vote as a sham.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “This is not what free and fair elections look like.”
In the tightly controlled environment, Alexei Navalny’s associates urged those unhappy with Putin or the war to go to the polls at noon on Sunday — and lines outside a number of polling stations both inside Russia and at its embassies around the world appeared to swell at that time.
Among those heeding call was Yulia Navalnaya, Mr Navalny’s widow, who spent more than five hours in the line at the Russian Embassy in Berlin.
She told reporters that she wrote her late husband’s name on her ballot.
Asked whether she had a message for Putin, Mrs Navalnaya replied: “Please stop asking for messages from me or from somebody for Mr Putin.
“There could be no negotiations and nothing with Mr. Putin, because he’s a killer, he’s a gangster.”
But Putin brushed off the effectiveness of the apparent protest.
He said at a news conference after the polls closed: “There were calls to come vote at noon. And this was supposed to be a manifestation of opposition.
“Well, if there were calls to come vote, then… I praise this.”
Putin referenced Mr Navalny by name for the first time in years at the news conference, declaring that he had been ready to release him in a swap for unidentified inmates in Western custody just days before the opposition leader’s death.
Some Russians waiting to vote in Moscow and St Petersburg told The Associated Press that they were taking part in the protest, but it wasn’t possible to confirm whether all of those in line were doing so.
A voter in Moscow, who identified himself only as Vadim, said he hoped for change, but added that “unfortunately, it’s unlikely”.
Like others, he didn’t give his full name because of security concerns.
Meanwhile, supporters of Mr Navalny streamed to his grave in Moscow, some bringing ballots with his name written on them.
Meduza, Russia’s biggest independent news outlet, published photos of ballots it received from their readers, with “killer” inscribed on one and “The Hague awaits you” on another.
The latter refers to an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes charges from the International Criminal Court.
Some people told AP that they were happy to vote for Putin — unsurprising in a country where state TV airs a drumbeat of praise for the Russian leader and voicing any other opinion is risky.
Dmitry Sergienko, who cast his ballot in Moscow, said, “I am happy with everything and want everything to continue as it is now.”
Voting took place over three days at polling stations across the vast country, in illegally annexed regions of Ukraine and online.
Several people were arrested, including in Moscow and St Petersburg, after they tried to start fires or set off explosives at polling stations, while others were detained for throwing green antiseptic or ink into ballot boxes.
Stanislav Andreychuk, co-chair of the Golos independent election watchdog, said Russians were searched when entering polling stations, there were attempts to check filled-out ballots before they were cast and one report said police demanded a ballot box be opened to remove a ballot.
