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Quoted By: >>1278717
Link: https://www.politico.eu/article/putin-wins-rigged-russian-election-with-88-of-the-vote-exit-poll/
Vladimir Putin tightened his grip on power, claiming another six-year term as Russian president after a brutally distorted election in which all serious challengers were wiped out before voting began.
With 30 percent of ballots counted, Putin’s tally stood at 87.68% of the vote, election officials announced on Sunday.
Putin’s victory was never in doubt. But this is the biggest share of the vote he has claimed in any of his five presidential election wins since his first in 2000. An official celebration is scheduled for Monday.
The result more than met the objective of an overwhelming victory to buttress Putin’s claim that Russians wholeheartedly back their leader and his invasion of Ukraine. With the winner already known ahead of time, the three-day vote was an exercise in pro-Putin mobilization and a test of loyalty for Russia’s state apparatus.
The election campaign, which saw three other candidates refrain from criticizing the president, was overshadowed by the death last month of Putin’s key opponent, Alexei Navalny.
Even with Navalny out of the way, Putin was taking no chances. On the first two days of voting, thousands of public sector employees, students, and workers from Russian corporations were compelled to cast their ballots.
Turnout was monitored by management — civil service employees were required to report back once they had voted. In some regions, they were even expected to bring relatives and share their geolocations with supervisors via a specially designed app.
Vladimir Putin tightened his grip on power, claiming another six-year term as Russian president after a brutally distorted election in which all serious challengers were wiped out before voting began.
With 30 percent of ballots counted, Putin’s tally stood at 87.68% of the vote, election officials announced on Sunday.
Putin’s victory was never in doubt. But this is the biggest share of the vote he has claimed in any of his five presidential election wins since his first in 2000. An official celebration is scheduled for Monday.
The result more than met the objective of an overwhelming victory to buttress Putin’s claim that Russians wholeheartedly back their leader and his invasion of Ukraine. With the winner already known ahead of time, the three-day vote was an exercise in pro-Putin mobilization and a test of loyalty for Russia’s state apparatus.
The election campaign, which saw three other candidates refrain from criticizing the president, was overshadowed by the death last month of Putin’s key opponent, Alexei Navalny.
Even with Navalny out of the way, Putin was taking no chances. On the first two days of voting, thousands of public sector employees, students, and workers from Russian corporations were compelled to cast their ballots.
Turnout was monitored by management — civil service employees were required to report back once they had voted. In some regions, they were even expected to bring relatives and share their geolocations with supervisors via a specially designed app.
