Vladimir Putin is poised to clinch another six-year term as Russia’s leader this weekend in a vote the Kremlin asserts will reflect unwavering support for his actions against Ukraine.
Having held power as president or prime minister since the end of 1999, Putin has stifled opposition and dissent, maintaining domestic control that leaves little doubt about the outcome.
Winning the March 15-17 election will extend his tenure in the Kremlin until at least 2030, surpassing any Russian leader since Catherine the Great in the eighteenth century.
The election occurs at a time when Putin enjoys high confidence, with Russia’s troops in Ukraine marking their first battlefield gains in months and his vocal critic, Alexei Navalny, passing away in an Arctic prison colony last month.
Despite being labeled a pariah in the West, the Kremlin contends that the vote will demonstrate unified support for Putin and his initiatives within Russia.
“He has no rivals at the moment and cannot have any,” stated Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov last year. “Nobody can realistically compete with him.”
“Important elections”
Although ceremonial, the Kremlin approaches the electoral process seriously, investing resources in a campaign to rally support for Putin. The president’s countrywide tour and public appearances, including flying in the cockpit of a supersonic nuclear bomber, aim to bolster his image as a strong leader.
“These elections are crucial for the Kremlin,” remarked Chatham House fellow Nikolai Petrov. “It is necessary to show that Russians overwhelmingly endorse Putin” during the military actions.
The Kremlin seeks to secure greater support for Putin than in his previous four election victories. In 2018, he officially garnered 77.5 percent of the vote, amid allegations of ballot-stuffing, fraud, and coerced voting.
This year, Putin faces three other candidates officially, all Kremlin-approved to maintain a semblance of competition. Anti-Putin politician Boris Nadezhdin’s bid was thwarted after substantial public backing for his pro-peace message.
“No doubt”
The term “managed democracy” once used for Russia’s electoral process has given way to “autocracy” or “totalitarianism,” as analysts describe it.
Ballots will be cast in the Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed in 2022, including the Crimea peninsula seized in 2014.
Moscow no longer attempts to portray the vote as a legitimate democratic exercise, focusing instead on ensuring political elites see Putin’s vast support among Russians.
Less than a year after a failed uprising by mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin aims to reassure potential rivals and successors of Putin’s firm grip on power.
Despite hopes from Russia’s remaining opposition figures for dissenting voters to flood polling stations, the Kremlin appears undeterred.
“We will conduct the elections that our people require,” Peskov emphasized, dismissing criticisms of the democratic process. “We won’t entertain any questioning of our democracy. Our democracy is exemplary.”
