Putin claims landslide in Russian election and scorns US democracy
Vladimir Putin has secured a fifth term as president in a landslide victory. He won 87% of the vote, in an election that saw three candidates stand against him – but many in the West argue that the three opposition candidates were not genuine contenders.
Critics say many of the genuine opposition candidates were effectively barred from running.
Putin said Russia’s democracy outshone many Western counterparts in transparency.
Supporters of the late Putin critic Alexei Navalny organised symbolic protests under the banner “Noon against Putin.” This led to extensive queues forming at midday in Russian cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as outside numerous embassies abroad. However, it was clear that these demonstrations would have no bearing on the election outcome.
The monitoring group OVD-Info reported at least 80 arrests of Russians. Unlike the sporadic attacks witnessed at some polling stations on Friday, there were no such incidents during this election.
Western nations swiftly denounced the vote as lacking in both freedom and fairness.