Putin Secures Unprecedented Victory In Russian Presidential Election

Vladimir Putin has been re-elected as Russia’s president, according to the official results of the country’s presidential vote, published on Monday by its Central Election Commission (CEC).

Putin clinched 87.28% of the vote, winning his fifth term in office by a landslide. His candidacy was supported by over 75 million voters.

Putin’s opponents in the 2024 race, Communist Party candidate Nikolay Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov of the New People party, and Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democrats secured 4.31%, 3.85% and 3.20% respectively.

Putin was first elected president in 2000 and served two consecutive four-year terms until 2008. He subsequently became prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia’s president from 2008–2012. During Medvedev’s time in office, he extended the presidential term to six years. Putin replaced Medvedev in office, becoming the head of state once again in 2012 and getting re-elected in 2018. As part of major constitutional reform in 2020, Russia amended its election regulations, “nullifying” Putin’s previous terms and enabling him to run for office again this year.

Voters at a polling station in St Petersburg at noon on Sunday

In his address to voters ahead of the vote, Putin encouraged Russians to take part in the election, noting that “each vote is valuable and significant” and that the outcome of the election will “shape the country’s development for years to come.” He also acknowledged that Russia is going through a “difficult period,” facing problems “in almost all areas” due to Western sanctions imposed over the Ukraine conflict. He urged Russians to “continue to be united and self-confident” in order to overcome these challenges.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny, holds flowers while queueing to vote outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sunday

This year’s election has been marked by a record-high voter turnout. According to CEC data, it topped 74%, exceeding the figure for the 2018 elections (67.47%). The highest turnout, of over 90%, was recorded in the Chechen Republic, the Kemerovo region, and in the Republic of Tyva. Presidential elections were also organized for the first time in Russia’s new regions – the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics, as well as in Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions.

Source: RT