President Vladimir Putin secured a significant victory in Russia's election on Sunday, marking a record post-Soviet landslide and further solidifying his control over the country, news agency Reuters reported. Despite thousands of opponents staging protests at polling stations and the United States criticising the vote as neither free nor fair, Putin's dominance remains unchallenged. For Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who ascended to power in 1999, the election outcome serves as a signal to the West that Russia, under his leadership, will continue to project itself assertively on the global stage, whether in times of war or peace.
With the early results indicating Putin's victory, the 71-year-old leader is set to secure another six-year term, positioning him to surpass Josef Stalin and become Russia's longest-serving leader in over two centuries.
Putin secured 87.8% of the vote, marking the highest-ever result in Russia's post-Soviet era, as per an exit poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM). Similarly, the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) reported Putin's support at 87%. The initial official results confirmed the accuracy of the polls.
Results indicated that Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov secured the second position with slightly under 4% of the vote, while newcomer Vladislav Davankov claimed the third spot. Ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky emerged fourth in the race, Reuters reported.
“The elections are obviously not free nor fair given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him,” the White House’s National Security Council spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters in its report.
The election takes place slightly over two years after Putin initiated the most lethal European conflict since World War Two by authorising the invasion of Ukraine, which he frames as a "special military operation."
Throughout the three-day election period, the specter of war loomed large: Ukraine launched numerous attacks on oil refineries in Russia, shelled regions within Russian territory, and attempted to breach Russian borders using proxy forces—a course of action that Putin vowed would not go unpunished.