By Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — As expected, President Vladimir Putin gained another six years in power in a predetermined election landslide that occurred during the toughest crackdown on the opposition and free speech since Soviet times. election landslide that comes amid the harshest crackdown on the opposition and free speech since Soviet times.
The three days of voting, in which Putin faced three symbolic opponents but none offering voters any real choice, went ahead with hardly any independent monitoring and were marked by a level of pressure unseen in previous Russian elections. That left little room for protests, but some Russians still tried to defy authorities.
Some key takeaways from the election:
PUTIN WAS IN FULL CONTROL OF THE ELECTION
The Central Election Commission said Putin received 87.28% of the vote, the highest number for any president in post-Soviet Russia. It said turnout was 77.44% of the electorate, also the biggest. Others on the ballot all finished in single digits, and anti-war candidates were not allowed to run.
The state news agency RIA Novosti said the vote “as expected … took place in an atmosphere of unprecedented national unity.”
There was no video from CCTV cameras at polling stations depicting voter fraud or ballot-box stuffing -– access to the footage was more heavily restricted than in previous elections -– and hardly any independent monitors were on hand to document irregularities.
There still was voter intimidation, however, according to Golos, Russia’s prominent independent election watchdog, noting it received reports of citizens being pressured to vote in over 60 Russian regions. On Sunday, voters were searched at polling stations, and some reported police checking their ballots before they were cast or peering over their shoulder while they filled them out, Golos said.
“Nothing like that has happened on such a scale at elections in Russia before,” Golos said in a statement Monday. A total of 89 people were detained Sunday in 22 cities, said OVD-Info, a rights group that monitors political arrests.
The 71-year-old Russia leader “chose to show his adversaries his power,” said political analyst Abbas Gallyamov, a former Putin’s speechwriter.
Vandalism also was reported at polling stations, with arson attempts or some pouring ink into ballot boxes. On Sunday, a woman who set off a firecracker in a polling station bathroom was injured. At least 34 people were detained on vandalism charges over the weekend, according to Russian independent news outlet Verstka.
A STYMIED OPPOSITION STILL MUSTERED SOME PROTESTS
The Kremlin has severely crippled the Russian opposition in recent years. Top figures are either in jail or in exile abroad, and the death last month of Alexei Navalny, who was Putin’s most vocal opponent, raised even more questions about what lies ahead for them.
On Sunday, some Russians turned up at polling stations at home and abroad at noon local time and formed long lines in a strategy endorsed by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other Putin adversaries.
Experts had said the tactic of the “Noon Against Putin” would check how well exiled opposition figures could gather supporters during the crackdown that has mostly deterred people from holding large demonstrations.
It was difficult to determine its success. Navalny’s team posted pictures of queues at polling stations in Russia and embassies abroad as evidence that many listened to their call. Reporters from The Associated Press and other independent media spoke to voters in various places who confirmed they appeared to participate in the protest.
However, Russian authorities and state media interpreted the lines in their favor, stating that they showed a heightened interest in the election.
This protest may not have directly affected the Kremlin and the election’s result, but it demonstrated that such “silent resistance” – both within the country and overseas – will continue, according to Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.
“The message to political manipulators has been sent: ‘We are here, this is what we are like, we’re not giving up, we’re prepared to be creative in using unexpected windows (of opportunity to protest),’” said Kolesnikov.
UNPOPULAR MOVES PROBABLY ARE AHEAD
In a post-election news conference, Putin seemed at ease, Gallyamov noted, likely realizing that “he has secured his future for at least six years ahead.”
Displaying his confidence, Putin even mentioned Navalny by name -– something he had intentionally avoided in public for years -– and disclosed that he had backed the idea of releasing him from prison in a prisoner exchange days before his opponent’s death.
There may be a period when officials will take time to celebrate the victory, Gallyamov said, but following that, unpopular actions could be on the horizon.
After his reelection in 2018, Putin infamously raised the retirement age, a move that was highly unpopular and led to protests.
Measures were taken ahead of this year’s election “to suppress public discontent,” such as preventing price hikes and not announcing another mobilization of troops for Ukraine, but all that could change now, he said.
The crackdown on dissent is also expected to continue.
Some experts propose Putin might further assess NATO’s determination during his fifth term.
