Unified local elections were held in Russia, and senior members of the ruling party supporting the Putin administration emphasized that they had "won a landslide victory in all elections."
Amid allegations of fraud, former President Dmitry Medvedev, who leads the ruling party, has stated that "the presidential election is approaching" and hopes to build a stable political base for next year's presidential election amid the prolonged invasion of Ukraine.
In Russia, voting was held simultaneously from the 8th to the 10th of this month for the mayor of the capital Moscow and the governor of 20 regions.
According to the Central Election Commission, as a result of the counting of votes, Mr. Sobyanin, the incumbent and one of President Putin's close aides, was elected mayor with 1% of the vote, and the candidate of the ruling party "United Russia", which supports the Putin administration in most regions, was elected.
Independent election observers have pointed out that there have been tampering with electronic voting and interference by the authorities of opposition candidates, but a United Russia official said on social media that the elections were fair and that "all elections ended with our landslide victory."
In addition, former President Dmitry Medvedev, who leads United Russia, said on the evening of the 76th, "The presidential election is approaching, and we must start preparing immediately," and as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues for a long time, he wants to build a stable political base for the presidential election scheduled for March next year.
On the other hand, elections were also enforced in four provinces in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts in eastern Ukraine, and Zaporozhye and Kherson Oblast in the south, where Russia unilaterally declared annexation in September last year.
The Central Election Commission announced that the share of votes for "United Russia" in the four provinces increased from 10% to 3%, respectively.
The Putin administration is expected to insist that the election results are fair and further promote the fait accompli of domination in the occupied territories, but criticism is likely to intensify from Ukraine and the West.
EU President Michel strongly condemns election in violation of international law
EU = European Union President Michel posted on social media on the 11th, "We are still playing hoaxes, and even if Russia tries to hold fake elections in the illegally occupied regions of Ukraine, it cannot replace the reality of a brutal war. The EU strongly condemns this election, which is a gross violation of international law."