Putin wins record vote in dubious election

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 18 Mar 2024 by Alex Teddy

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As we predicted, Putin won a higher share of the vote than ever before: 87%. He expressed his gratitude to those who voted and took the opportunity to praise Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. He said the war explained the high turnout, which was a record breaking 70%. The runner up was the communist candidate who secured a paltry 4%. We predicted that the liberal candidate Davankov would win 5%, and he won 4%. Putin, 71, will be re-inaugurated for a 6-year term in May 2024. In 2030 he could win another 6 years. The British Foreign Minister said the elections were not free or fair, and so did Poland. There have only been 80 arrests for protests at polling stations. In Chechnya the vote for Putin was 99%. The President of Chechnya boasts about being ultra loyal to Putin. Russians abroad were able to vote in embassies.  Russian oppositionists abroad dismissed the election as a sham. They went to the embassies as part of the ''noon against Putin'' protest: going to the polls at the last minute. Some held the flag of the opposition: white, blue, white horizontal bars. The Kremlin held back some rumored unpopular moves before the election such as tax rises and more men being drafted for the army. Both those policies will probably be implemented in the next few weeks.