Early outcomes present Putin successful some 87 p.c of the vote, the highest-ever lead to Russia’s post-Soviet historical past.
President Vladimir Putin is about to win a report post-Soviet landslide victory in Russia’s election, cementing his grip on energy, regardless of a lot of opponents staging a midday protest at polling stations.
Shortly after the final polls closed on Sunday, early returns pointed to the conclusion everybody anticipated: that Putin would lengthen his almost quarter-century rule for six extra years.
Based on Russia’s Central Election Fee, he had some 87 p.c of the vote with about 60 p.c of precincts counted. The outcome means Putin, 71, will overtake Josef Stalin and turn into Russia’s longest-serving chief in additional than 200 years.
Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov got here second with just below 4 p.c, newcomer Vladislav Davankov third and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky fourth, early outcomes steered.
Nationwide turnout was 74.22 p.c when polls closed, election officers mentioned, surpassing 2018 ranges of 67.5 p.c.
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 must reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether or not in struggle or in peace, for a lot of extra years to come back.
America mentioned the vote was neither free nor honest.
“The elections are clearly not free nor honest given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from working towards him,” mentioned the White Home’s Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson.
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 World Battle II.
On Sunday, hundreds of Putin’s opponents staged a protest towards him, though there was no unbiased tally of what number of of Russia’s 114 million voters took half within the demonstrations.
Supporters of Putin’s most distinguished opponent, Alexey Navalny, who died in an Arctic jail final month, had known as on Russians to come back out to a “Midday towards Putin” protest.
Putin was first nominated as performing president when former Russian President Boris Yeltsin resigned. He then gained his first presidential election in March 2000 and a second time period in 2004.
After two stints as president, Putin switched again to being prime minister in 2008 to bypass a constitutional ban on holding greater than two consecutive phrases as head of state.
However he returned to the presidency in 2012 and gained a fourth time period in 2018.