Russia’s regional and municipal elections have come to an end, with President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party receiving strong support. However, the elections have faced widespread criticism for vote rigging and claims that Russia is tightening its grip over regions annexed from Ukraine.
The Council of Europe, Europe’s leading rights group, has denounced the week-long vote as a flagrant violation of international law. Kyiv and its allies argue that the elections are an illegal attempt by Moscow to control regions in Ukraine’s south and east.
While the dominance of Putin’s party in both Russia and the annexed regions has reinforced the Kremlin’s message of stability, there were limited electoral competition in the regions. Strong candidates, including those from Russia’s main opposition Communist Party, were blocked from running by authorities.
Stanislav Andreychuk, the co-chair of Golos, a voter rights’ group labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian government, has highlighted instances of vote rigging across the country. Andreychuk stated that these elections are not real, and his organization has received reports of opposition candidates being detained and harassed.
Despite the criticism, the Kremlin maintains that Putin is the most popular politician in Russia, citing opinion polls and numerous election wins as evidence of free and fair elections.
It is worth noting that all significant political forces in Russia, including the opposition parties, are generally loyal to Putin and his actions in Ukraine. United Russia won every provincial governor’s race it contested. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, considered a close ally of Putin, secured over 75% of the vote in the Russian capital, where there is very little opposition.
Kremlin critics argue that elections in Moscow are easily rigged due to the capital’s electronic voting system, which they claim is impossible to audit. Similar systems have been implemented in other Russian regions.
Furthermore, the Kremlin-backed candidates have emerged victorious in four war-torn Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, which Moscow declared as its territory in an annexation denounced as illegal by Kyiv and its allies. Japan’s foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, called Russia’s actions in these regions totally unacceptable.
The regions’ handpicked governors, who comprise separatist leaders and pro-Russian politicians, will now serve full terms in office. However, Ukraine continues its gradual progress in regaining territory in the Zaporizhzhia region and claims to have made advancements in Donetsk.
The results of the elections further solidify Putin’s hold on power and raise concerns about the state of democracy in Russia. Foreign reporters Felix Light and Lidia Kelly contributed to this article.