Putin secures fifth term amid international condemnation and protests

Comments are still pouring in after the presidential election in Russia. Although the result was no surprise to anyone, world politicians have not spared harsh words for the Kremlin.

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The three-day presidential election in Russia concluded on Sunday. According to the central electoral commission, turnout was impressive (73 percent), and Vladimir Putin received 87.97 percent of the votes.

No one was surprised by the selection of the dictator as leader for the fifth time despite the elections being accompanied by strong emotions and protests. Opponents of the Kremlin at many polling stations destroyed ballots or doused ballot boxes with paint. Molotov cocktails were also used.

On the first day of the election, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, congratulated Putin on a "crushing victory." "Without opposition. Without freedom. Without choice," - he commented on the platform X (formerly Twitter).

"The sham elections in Russia are neither free nor fair, and their result surprises no one. Putin's regime is authoritarian, based on censorship, repression, and violence. 'Elections' in the occupied territories of Ukraine are invalid and constitute another violation of international law", - reads a statement from the German Foreign Office after the publication of the presidential election results in Russia.

"Polling stations in Russia were closed in connection with the illegal conduct of elections on the territory of Ukraine, lack of choice for voters, and lack of independent OSCE monitoring. This is not what free and fair elections look like" - assessed former British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

A similar statement was issued by the Polish Foreign Ministry, emphasizing that the presidential elections in Russia are not legal, democratic, or fair.

- Putin will do everything to rule forever - emphasized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the election results. As he added, Putin most "fears justice," and "for everything that Russian murderers have done in this war and in the name of Putin's lifelong power, just punishment must follow".

French President Emmanuel Macron, who received congratulations from Putin after his reelection in April 2022, stated in a conversation with national media that he will not do the same. - You cannot congratulate elections "surrounded by the death of those who fought for pluralism in Russia" - he said.

Source: LeParisien, X, WP News