Under the influence of the war of aggression against Ukraine, millions of Russians voted for new governors, regional parliaments and mayors. Independent observers from the organization “Golos”, which is banned by the Kremlin as a “foreign agent”, also recorded a large number of violations of the electoral law on the last of the three days.
Employees were pressured by their employers to vote, and some of them were followed to the polling stations. As always, there were multiple votes. “Golos” had already stated in advance that the power apparatus in Moscow was doing everything it could to help representatives of the Kremlin party United Russia to political office. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who himself voted online for the new Moscow city council, said in a video from the Kremlin that the elections have always been “of great importance for the political stability of the country, and today it is especially important.”
While the organization “Golos”, which advocates for respect of voters’ rights, listed hundreds of violations on voting days, Ella Pamfilova, the election director appointed by Putin in Moscow, announced that no relevant incidents had taken place. At the same time, she criticized the fact that representatives of other parties had attracted attention more often than ever for their “undignified” behavior.
Pamfilova alleged that some party members had also disrupted the work of local election commissions. In the Bryansk region, for example, the communists came under criticism for “destructive” behavior. Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov dismissed the election officials’ claims as false. The party, like others, had previously complained that some of its candidates had been denied registration.
Criticism of the elections in annexed Crimea
In a statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry criticized the elections, which were also held in the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. The vote is a farce, a violation of international law. The ministry said it had nothing to do with the will of voters and was therefore null and void. The politicians who are going to vote are in no way legitimized by the Ukrainian side. The Foreign Ministry also announced criminal prosecution of those involved in organizing the elections.
The vote was seen as a test of the Kremlin’s mood, which is under pressure mainly from the Ukrainian offensive on Russian territory in the Kursk area and from the shelling of border areas. More than 57 million people were called to vote. However, the turnout was sometimes less than 50 percent. The full results are expected on Monday.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
