Putin attended a party in Moscow after announcing his victory, thanking his supporters (Reuters)
The Russian Electoral Commission announced on Monday that President Vladimir Putin achieved a “record” victory in the elections that concluded on Sunday, while heads of state rushed to congratulate him while Western leaders denounced what they called “illegitimate” elections.
The head of the Russian Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova, explained that this is evidence that the country is united behind President Putin and that he received "about 76 million" votes, representing 87.29%, after 99.76% of the votes were counted.
Pamfilova pointed out that participation in the elections recorded an “unprecedented record” rate of 77.44%. This had never happened before in the history of the new Russia. “We proved to ourselves that we are an independent nation and showed in the face of the West that we are united,” she said.
Today, during a celebration following his election victory, Russian President Putin thanked his supporters, standing alongside the three candidates who ran against him.
Addressing the crowds, Putin said during the celebration held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, “Hand in hand we will move forward,” welcoming the “recovery” of the lands that Moscow annexed from Ukraine.
In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the election result as exceptionally ideal for President Putin and that it was "the clearest confirmation of the people's support for their president and their support for his course."
Messages came from several leaders, especially Putin's allies, to congratulate him on his election victory. Beijing congratulated the Russian president, saying, "China and Russia are the two largest neighboring countries and are partners in comprehensive strategic cooperation in the new era."
Chinese President Xi Jinping considered that Putin's victory in the presidential elections "fully demonstrates the support of the Russian people" for him, saying, "I believe that under your leadership, Russia will be able to achieve major achievements in national development and reconstruction."
Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi also sent a message of congratulations to his Russian counterpart on his “decisive victory” and re-election as President of the Russian Federation, according to what was reported by the Iranian “IRNA” agency.
For his part, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he looked forward to working together to strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Russia in the coming years, while Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik affirmed that "the Serbian people happily welcomed President Putin's victory."
While Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro considered that "our older brother won, which brings good news to the world," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that the official result is "a sincere indication that the Russian people support Putin's management of the country."
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, and Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also sent telegrams of congratulations to President Putin on the occasion of his victory in the presidential elections for a new term.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad congratulated the Russian President, saying, "I congratulate you on your victory and your re-election as President of the Russian Federation with a large majority, which confirms the Russian people's high confidence in you, your national policies, and your strategic visions."
The Kremlin described the election results as ideal (Reuters)
"It's not a democracy"
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused President Putin of being "obsessed with power and doing his best to rule forever and ready for all evil in order to preserve his personal power," noting that the Russian elections do not have "any legitimacy."
European Union foreign policy official Josep Borrell also considered that Putin's re-election as president of Russia took place in elections that were based on "repression and intimidation and were not free or fair."
For his part, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron accused Russian President Putin of removing all his rivals from the political arena and completely controlling the media, saying, "This is not democracy."
Cameron said that Russia "failed" to fulfill its commitment to the principles of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and considered the Russian presidential elections "which took place on Ukrainian territory a violation of the United Nations Charter and Ukraine's sovereignty."
While German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock considered that these elections demonstrated “Putin’s disgraceful behavior against his people,” adding, “The elections in Russia were elections without a choice,” the French Foreign Ministry believed that “the conditions for free, pluralistic, and democratic elections” were absent “once again.” In Russia, which has been ruled by Putin for nearly a quarter of a century.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tayani also considered that the elections were "neither free nor fair," while Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavski described them as a "farce."
For her part, Moldova's President Maia Sandu said, "We cannot talk about free and fair elections when real opponents are excluded from the race, some are sent to prison and others are expelled from the country," while Poland considered the Russian elections "illegal in a climate of severe repression." Norway said that the Kremlin's organization of elections in parts of Ukraine represents a "serious violation of international law."
Earlier on Sunday, thousands of Russian opposition supporters gathered in front of polling stations in several cities as part of a peaceful political movement called “Noon Against Putin.” Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, whose death was announced last month, announced his support for this movement, according to those close to him.
Navalny's supporters called on voters who oppose Putin and the war on Ukraine to come en masse to the polling stations at noon and cast their votes for one of the three candidates or write anti-Putin slogans on the voting cards.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies