The Russian electoral commission and the Kremlin on Monday praised Vladimir Putin’s “record” victory in the presidential election, a result forged by repressing the opposition and presented as proof of national unity after the offensive in Ukraine.
“It is a record indicator” of votes, said the head of the electoral commission, Ella Pamfilova.
Putin, 71, was re-elected for his fifth term with 87.28% of the vote, the commission reported after counting all the country’s electoral colleges.
The Russian president celebrated his victory on Sunday night, at the end of three days of elections without a real opposition candidate.
The other three candidates obtained 4.31%, 3.85% and 3.20% respectively, according to this result that does not include votes abroad.
It is an “exceptional” result and “eloquent confirmation of the support of the Russian people” for the president, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
Putin, in power for almost a quarter of a century, achieved 10 points more than in 2018.
For Putin, this result shows a Russia that will not allow itself to be “intimidated” by its adversaries.
A concert is planned for Monday in Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate the result, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014, the beginning of Moscow’s military assault on Kiev that culminated in the launch of the offensive. on February 24, 2022.
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In his speech, Putin congratulated himself on the “internal political consolidation”, two years after the offensive against Ukraine and Western sanctions against the country.
“It doesn’t matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, it doesn’t matter who or how much they want to crush us,” he said. “It hasn’t worked now and it won’t work in the future. Never.”
Throughout the week there were bombings and raids by Ukrainian militiamen on Russian soil to try to disrupt the elections.
Putin, who may run again in 2030 and remain in power until 2036, paid tribute to the soldiers fighting in Ukraine and protecting “the historical territories of Russia.”
In his opinion, Russian forces, since taking control of Avdiivka in mid-February, have “all the initiative” on the front.
The opposition, however, managed to show itself symbolically, responding to the call of Navalni’s widow. Yulia Navalnaya, who promised to continue her husband’s cause, called on her followers to go vote on Sunday at noon.
Navalnaya voted at the Russian embassy in Berlin, where she lives in exile with her children.
For the Kremlin, the opponent’s widow “has lost her Russian roots.”
At other Russian embassies, long lines also formed at noon. Tens of thousands of Russians have gone into exile abroad since the start of the offensive against Ukraine for fear of repression or being conscripted into the army.
At some voting centers in Moscow and St. Petersburg, people also gathered at the same time.
In the cemetery where Navalni was buried, in the Russian capital, dozens of people placed flowers and ballots with the name of the opponent written on them.
Putin mentioned his name in public on Sunday for the first time in years: “As for Mr. Navalny. Yes, he passed away. It is a sad event.”
No options
Many Western countries criticized the elections. Putin’s re-election is based on “repression and intimidation,” said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
It was an election “without options,” added German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. For France, “the conditions for a free, plural and democratic election were not met either.”
Russia’s traditional allies welcomed the result.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the “full support” of Russians for their president.
And the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua sent messages of congratulations.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed his “unwavering will to continue working closely” to “advance mutually beneficial cooperation.”
Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted that the electoral result is “a reliable example of the Russian people’s recognition of his management.”
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega described the victory “as a contribution to the indispensable stability of the human community.”
And the Bolivian president, Luis Arce, said in X that Putin’s victory “reaffirms the unity of the brave Russian people around their sovereignty and constant development.”