Early effects display Putin profitable some 87 p.c of the vote, the highest-ever lead to Russia’s post-Soviet historical past.Russian President Vladimir Putin has cemented his grip on energy in a landslide election victory that has been broadly criticised as missing democratic legitimacy.
In a post-election information convention, Putin solid the result as a vindication of his determination to defy the West and invade Ukraine.
“Regardless of who or how a lot they need to intimidate us, regardless of who or how a lot they need to suppress us, our will, our awareness – nobody has ever succeeded in anything else like this in historical past,” Putin mentioned in an deal with from his marketing campaign headquarters early on Monday morning.
“It has no longer labored now and won’t paintings one day. By no means.”
In a while after the ultimate polls closed on Sunday, early returns pointed to the belief everybody anticipated: that Putin would prolong his just about quarter-century rule for 6 extra years.
In step with Russia’s Central Election Fee, he had some 87 p.c of the vote with about 60 p.c of precincts counted. The outcome manner Putin, 71, will overtake Joseph Stalin and develop into Russia’s longest-serving chief in additional than 200 years.
Communist candidate Nikolay Kharitonov got here 2d with slightly below 4 p.c, newcomer Vladislav Davankov 3rd and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky fourth, early effects prompt.
National turnout used to be 74.22 p.c when polls closed, election officers mentioned, surpassing 2018 ranges of 67.5 p.c.
Putin’s victory used to be by no means unsure as his critics are most commonly in prison, in exile or lifeless, whilst public grievance of his management has been stifled.
The Russian chief’s maximum outstanding rival, Alexey Navalny, died in an Arctic jail ultimate month.
For Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to energy in 1999, the result’s meant to underscore to the West that its leaders should reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether or not in struggle or in peace, for lots of extra years yet to come.
The USA mentioned the vote used to be neither unfastened nor honest.
“The elections are patently no longer unfastened nor honest given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political fighters and avoided others from working in opposition to him,” mentioned the White Area’s Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson.
United Kingdom Overseas Secretary David Cameron mentioned in a submit on X that the vote used to be “no longer what unfastened and honest elections appear to be”.
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned, “This election fraud has no legitimacy and can’t have any”.
The election got here greater than two years after Putin’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s deadliest battle since International Struggle II.
On Sunday, hundreds of Putin’s fighters staged a protest in opposition to him, even if there used to be no impartial tally of what number of of Russia’s 114 million electorate took phase within the demonstrations.
Supporters of Navalny had referred to as on Russians to come back out to a “Midday in opposition to Putin” protest.
At his press convention, Putin referred to Navalny through identify for the primary time since his loss of life, pronouncing he had supported a suggestion to liberate him in change for prisoners held in Western nations.
“The one who used to be speaking to me hadn’t completed his sentence and I mentioned ‘I agree’,” Putin mentioned.
Putin used to be first nominated as performing president when former Russian President Boris Yeltsin resigned. He then received his first presidential election in March 2000 and a 2d time period in 2004.
After two stints as president, Putin switched again to being top minister in 2008 to bypass a constitutional ban on keeping greater than two consecutive phrases as head of state.
However he returned to the presidency in 2012 and received a fourth time period in 2018.
