Russian President Vladimir Putin easily won another six-year term in office after receiving a record of nearly 88 percent support in the country's presidential election, early results show.
The integrity of Russia's elections have been criticized as Putin, who has been in power either as president or prime minister for 24 years, has silenced dissenting voices in the Eastern European country.
The Context:
Putin ran against Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party, Leonid Slutsky of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and Vladislav Davankov of the New People party in a three-day election from March 15 to 17. Meanwhile, anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin and former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova were barred from running.
What We Know:
After serving two consecutive six-year terms as president, Putin is projected to stay in office for another six years. While not all the votes have been counted yet, Putin received 87.34 percent of the votes as of 3:41 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), according to the Russian Central Election Commission.
The Russian Central Election Commission said that voter turnout was at 65.05 percent as of 5:50 a.m. ET.
Putin's election win comes amid the second year of fighting in Ukraine. In February 2022, the Russian leader launched his full-scale invasion of its Eastern European neighbor. The Kremlin has silenced any opposition to the war within Russia.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian government via online form for comment.
Views:
In an attempt to show their disdain for Putin, long lines of Russian voters at polling stations in Moscow appeared at exactly 12 p.m. on Sunday in what has been called a "rally against Putin," despite threats of jail time from city officials.
The website "Noon Against Putin" called on voters to queue up for paper ballots and "do what you think is right," whether that means backing someone they like, ticking every box, spoiling the ballot or not voting at all.
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny, who was an opposition leader in Russia and Putin's fiercest critic, backed the protest. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony at the age of 47 in February. Many believe Navalny was murdered and that Putin was responsible, but the Kremlin has denied such allegations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia's election was illegitimate in a video address on Sunday.
"These days, the Russian dictator is simulating another election. Everyone understands that this actor, as it has happened many times in history, has gotten sick for power and is doing everything to rule forever," he said, according to a translation. "There is not a single bit of legitimacy in this simulation of an election and there cannot be."
What's Next?
Putin's time in leadership is set to surpass the rule of Russian dictator Joseph Stalin. Stalin ruled the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1929 to 1953.
The 1993 Russian constitution originally said that a president could only serve two consecutive terms for four years each.
Putin was able to stay in power for so long by switching leadership roles and through constitutional changes. The presidential term was extended to six years in 2008 and amendments made in 2020 reset Putin's 12-year term to zero in 2024.
The Russian president told reporters on Sunday that Moscow has to make its military stronger. Putin made it clear in an address in December 2023 that there will be no peace until Moscow's goals in the Russia-Ukraine war are met.
"There will be peace when we achieve our goals...As for demilitarization, if they [the Ukrainians] don't want to come to an agreement - well, then we are forced to take other measures, including military ones," he said. "Either we get an agreement, agree on certain parameters [on the size and strength of Ukraine's military]...or we solve this by force. This is what we will strive for."
Putin also said on Sunday that those who spoiled their ballots in the "Noon Against Putin" protest should be prosecuted.
Update 3/17/24, 3:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 3/17/24, 4:28 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 3/17/24, 5:36 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
