The winner of the rigged Russian election was, as expected, incumbent President Vladimir Putin. He will now remain in office for another six years, beating Stalin in terms of how long he has been in power.
According to a poll published when the polls closed, Putin had received 87.8 percent of the vote, reports Reuters and several other media.
The figure 87.8 percent comes from the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM). According to the same source, Putin’s margin of victory was the best yet – surpassing his highest in four previous elections of 76.7 percent in 2018.
The final election results will come on Monday. By then, 90 percent of the votes are expected to have been counted, according to Russian Lent.
The widow voted in Berlin
Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya was among those who gathered outside the Russian embassy in Berlin at lunchtime on Sunday.
The crowd chanted, “Julia, Julia, we’re with you,” as she walked in to cast her vote.
Alexei Navalny used to be called “Putin’s worst enemy”. He died on February 16 under unclear circumstances at a penal colony in the northern Ural Mountains.
– It is not possible that a month before a presidential campaign, a month before an election, Putin’s main opponent, who was already in prison, is killed, says Yulia Navalnaya to supporters and journalists.
“Want to rule forever”
One of the first to comment on the results of the Russian presidential election was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
– He is doing everything to be able to rule forever, says Zelensky.
Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the election was not legal.
“Russia’s presidential election is neither free nor fair,” the ministry said.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron signs X that this is not how free elections work.
“Navalny should not have returned”
In a speech on Russian state television on Sunday, Putin declared himself victorious and thanked Russians for their support, claiming the result showed citizens trust his leadership.
He also said that Russia should not be intimidated when he secured another six years in power – regardless of who, how, or how much “they want to oppress us”.
– It has not worked now and will not work in the future. Never, Putin said.
Putin also said that Navalny’s death was sad, but that he should never have returned to Russia. It was the first time in a long time that Putin mentioned Navalny by name.
Putin also claimed that Russia had agreed to a prisoner exchange with people imprisoned in the West, which included Navalny.