The pseudo-election in Putin's dictatorship
There have long been no political opponents walking around freely in Vladimir Putin's empire.
From today until Sunday, the 100 million eligible voters are now called to take part in so-called presidential elections - even if in reality there is no election: In addition to Putin, there are only three puppet candidates on the ballot papers.
The regime first had the most important opposition figure poisoned, then imprisoned, and now Alexei Navalny is dead. It had the only war-critical pseudo-opponent candidate, Boris Nadezhdin, disqualified.
How popular the dictator is after a quarter of a century in power cannot really be determined;
A poll institute close to the Kremlin predicts 82 percent for Putin.
According to the Kremlin's wishes, the result would have to be at least that high.
Although the country has become a brutal dictatorship, Putin wants to give himself a semblance of legitimacy with the results.
To ensure that this happens, Putin's regime also uses coercion: SPIEGEL spoke to employees of state-owned companies who vote for Putin via online voting and are then supposed to present the screenshots to their bosses as evidence.
One thing is clear: voter turnout should be high, even if it is forced.
And the election result for the ruler must be overwhelming in the end.
No, it's not a choice.
And no, no regime that is sure of itself behaves like this.
The vote is non-transparent, there are hardly any opportunities to observe the election - online voting has also been massively expanded, the results of which can be even less verified.
The Russian regime is also holding votes in the occupied territories of Ukraine - that alone should be reason enough for the West not to recognize the result.
The very last twitch of liberal opposition members who have not yet been exiled or imprisoned will come on Sunday, the last day of the election: They should all go to the polling stations at 12 p.m. sharp.
To show that there is another Russia.
The Moscow prosecutor's office is already threatening anyone who takes part in this with up to five years in prison.
The whole story here: First elect Putin - then a screenshot to the bosses
Couples therapy for Macron and Scholz
It has never been easy with the German-French partnership.
It has to be fought for again and again because it can never be taken for granted: the social, state and foreign policy traditions of the two countries are too different.
But as long as I can remember, the relationship has never been as bad as between Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron.
Both are to blame for this.
Both statesmen are characterized by an unshakable belief in their own grandiosity - it just expresses itself very differently.
In the end, it was all about smearing the other between Paris and Berlin - Berlin was insisting that Paris wasn't paying enough for Ukraine.
And while Scholz suddenly presented himself as a “peace chancellor,” Macron suddenly talked about ground troops for Ukraine – a possibility that he did not want to rule out in a TV interview last night.
The German-French dispute duo is now meeting in Berlin today, together with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
First of all, Scholz and Macron treat themselves to a long, hopefully clarifying one-on-one conversation so that Tusk doesn't have to play the mediator in the end.
France, Poland and Germany together form the so-called “Weimar Triangle”, a European political forum that has existed for a long time but has recently become somewhat dormant.
It should be revived with the meeting.
It would be hoped that the three most important nations in the EU will now demonstrate unity in order to finally get serious about supporting Ukraine in this crucial year of 2024.
More background here: Can Baerbock change the Chancellor's mind on the Taurus issue?
When Israel's supporter becomes a critic
Statements by the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, show how much the domestic political climate in the USA is turning against the current Israeli government: The Jewish senator from New York was a political advocate for Israel throughout his life and welcomed Donald's controversial decision in 2018 Trump's move to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.
On Thursday he gave a speech in the plenary session in which he described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an obstacle to peace: "He is too willing to tolerate civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, which is pushing approval of Israel to an all-time low worldwide.
Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah."
He believes that Netanyahu has lost his way "by prioritizing his political survival over Israel's own interests."
Schumer called for new elections.
US President Biden had previously expressed his anger at Netanyahu's conduct of the war several times.
The United States is Israel's closest military ally and has supplied its military with thousands of bombs and precision munitions since the offensive against Hamas began.
More background information here: Star philosopher Yuval Noah Harari on Israel – “As if people were making packages with their anger and sending them to the Middle East.”
Read the current SPIEGEL editorial here
Now it's good:
the debate about the Taurus delivery has lost its balance.
The Chancellor's decision may be wrong, but it is legitimate.
Time for a little fairness.
Click here for the current daily quiz
Today's starting question: Which of these countries is a founding member of NATO?
Loser of the day...
...is Elon Musk, the richest man and most powerful spreader of conspiracy theories in the world.
Why?
Not because another of his rockets exploded, but because Musk's Tesla factory in Grünheide, Brandenburg, is causing trouble.
And this despite the fact that it brings thousands of jobs to the region and strengthens its economic strength.
This week Musk had to travel to Grünheide himself: left-wing extremists had cut down an electricity pylon and production came to a complete standstill for a week.
Musk wants to further expand the factory and wants to have hundreds of hectares of forest cleared for it - to which there is increasing resistance.
The factory is already consuming huge amounts of water in one of the driest areas of Germany, which is why many surrounding communities fear for the future of their water supply.
Left-wing activists have set up a protest camp in the forest that is to be cleared, which the police have previously tolerated - today the tolerance is expiring and the forest occupiers are threatened with eviction.
My colleague Frauke Böger visited her and asked herself: Could a new Hambacher Forest be created here for the left-wing scene?
Musk hid from the media and the public during his visit to the factory and to the Brandenburg Prime Minister.
This hardly creates trust.
Protest camp at the Tesla factory in Brandenburg: Anyone who isn't out of the woods
The latest reports from the night
Reports of deaths and injuries in Gaza City:
Dozens of people are said to have been killed or injured at a roundabout in Gaza City as they waited for aid, Hamas claims.
Israel denies.
Father of US gunman convicted of negligent homicide:
It's a precedent: After the mother, the father of a US teenager who shot four students has now also been convicted.
The parents had given the minor the murder weapon.
Swarm of bees interrupts Zverev and Alcaraz's tennis match:
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev had played against each other for nine minutes, then suddenly bees were buzzing around them.
They were apparently targeting the TV cameras.
We would particularly like to recommend this story to you today:
“Fear of bad sleep can be worse than bad sleep itself”:
Our internal clock has a massive influence on well-being.
In an interview with my colleague Jule Lutteroth, the Swiss scientist Christian Cajochen revealed what really helps with sleep disorders and what effects cell phone games in the evening have on our sleep.
I wish you a good start to the day.
Yours, Mathieu von Rohr, head of the SPIEGEL foreign department