According to the expert who visited in the morning, the result of the Russian elections illustrates how Putin’s grip on Russia has tightened. It was also important for Putin to beat the previous election results.
Vladimir Putin has won the spectacular Russian presidential election by huge numbers. Putin’s vote share is more than 87 percent, after 99 percent of the votes have been counted.
Six years ago, Putin was elected to continue as president with almost 77 percent support. It was important for Putin to beat the previous election results, says a special researcher at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Veera Laine I’ll be there in the morning on Monday.
– We wanted to get a big win, and we had to get it at any cost, says Laine.
The election result reflects how Putin’s grip on Russia has tightened, says doctoral researcher Eemil Mitikka from the Alexander Institute.
– These election numbers are already close to the support numbers of dictatorships. Russia has turned into a truly authoritarian country since the war of aggression in Ukraine began, says Mitikka.
Mentioning Navalny speaks of self-confidence
Vladimir Putin gave his victory speech the night before Monday. Stylistically, what emerged from the speech was that Putin was full of certainty, says Laine.
– The speech showed that now a strong-looking mandate has been received from the people, and Putin is taking all the joy out of it, says Laine.
Putin is now communicating that he is Russia’s sovereign leader, who should not be challenged, says Mitikka. This is also related to the fact that Putin mentioned the opposition politician who died last month for the first time in his speech To Alexei Navalny name after this death.
Until now, Putin has tried to avoid mentioning Navalny. Laine interprets talking about Navalny as part of Putin’s new confidence.
– Putin wants to show that there are no more challengers. He can now take this step and mention his opponent that he has eliminated himself.
The opposition’s protest was cunning
The Russian opposition organized protests at polling stations yesterday afternoon in Russia and other countries. During the rapture, queues were created at the polling stations. According to Mitika, the way was cunning. It worked within the framework of the system, and those supporting the opposition had the opportunity to see who else had arrived.
– This was a relatively safe way to express one’s opinion, and there are almost no such ways in Russia anymore. The people who came there got the experience that they are not quite alone, says Laine.
The Russian opposition living abroad has become empowered and united after Navalny’s death, says Laine. In Russia, the situation is difficult, because any expression of opinion can be interpreted as political. In this case, it may result in a fine, arrest or violence. Expressions of opinion can also cause problems in the workplace, for example, says Laine.
Watch the whole conversation in ‘s morning: