Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Putin Poised for Re-Election as Voters Head to Polls

Russia is holding elections today, in which Vladimir Putin is expected to be re-elected by a broad margin in the first round. The surprise could be the abstention rate.

Left Voice

March 18, 2018
Facebook Twitter Share

Image From Noticias 24

The first round of the Russian presidential elections are being held today, in which 108.9 million electors in Russian territory and 1.87 million abroad have been called to vote. They will be choosing among 8 candidates, including the current head of state, Vladimir Putin, whose victory is practically certain, according to opinion polls.
In spite of the number of candidates, none of them have reached a two-digit figure in voting intention polls.

The only candidate who, according to some analysts, could have garnered greater support is attorney and blogger Alexéi Navalny, whose candidacy was rejected by the Electoral Commission for having been sentenced to 5 years in prison for embezzlement of public funds.

Nalvany, who considers the sentence to have been the result of political persecution by the Kremlin, has called electors to abstain from voting and seeks to capitalize on the low voter turnout. 65% of electors voted in the 2012 elections, while voter abstention in the 2016 legislative elections was over 50%.

Although his victory is practically guaranteed, these elections are being held in a sensitive international context for the Russian president, due to increasing tensions with the main world powers.

Putin thus ended his campaign with a vigorous call for electors to head to the polls today. This call could be interpreted as reaction to the possibility of a very low voter turnout that would undermine the legitimacy of his victory.

“The course that the country will take will depend on the will of the people, the will of each Russian citizen. That is why I ask you to go to the ballot stations on Sunday. Exercise your right to choose the future of our great and beloved Russia,” said Putin in a video.

According to the last polls, Putin will win with 65-70% of the votes, a historic result for the Russian leader, who was elected for the first time in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 and 2012, a period during which he served as Prime Minister for four years (2008-2012).

The Prime Minister, Dmitri Medvedev, known for his interest in social media, also called the youth to “get off the Internet” today.

Unrivaled

The final stages of the electoral campaign were marked from abroad by accusations against Putin by the United Kingdom, in concert with the main European powers, in relation to the recent case of a former agent and his daughter who were presumably poisoned with a substance manufactured by Russia.

The accusations related to the poisoning, which allegedly took place March 4 in the English city of Salisbury, received broad media coverage and generated significant diplomatic friction.

However, the scandal does not seem to have affected the president’s efforts in seeking re-election. Besides Putin, seven candidates are competing in these elections, but according to the polls, none of them have a chance at the presidency.

Second in voting intention is the candidate for the Communist Party, Stalinist millionaire Pavel Grudinin, with 7%.

Grudinin runs Sovjoz Lenin, one of the most successful agricultural companies in Russia, and has been constantly accused of having large amounts of money and many properties in other countries.

In third place with 6% of voting intention is the veteran ultra nationalist leader of the Liberal Democratic party, Vladimir Zhirinovski, who is running for President for the sixth time and is known for his eccentricities, tone deafness, and fierce critiques of the West. During the presidential debate, he called the female candidate Sobchak a “whore” and a “greengrocer,” and he has said that if he were President, he would launch a preemptive strike against the United States.

These two candidates represent parties referred to as the “systemic opposition,” which have been in Parliament for many years.

Ksenia Sobchak, the youngest of the candidates (36), is the only female candidate in these elections. She is the daughter of Putin’s political mentor, who was mayor of St. Petersburg during the Perestroika, Anatoli Sobchak.

Her position as part of the opposition is frequently questioned due to her close ties with the President’s inner circle. A popular television show host, she has made controversial statements such as asserting that Crimea does not belong to Russia. After being insulted by Zhirinovski in the scandalous presidential debate, Sobchak threw a glass of water at him. She is expected to garner 1 to 3% of the votes.

The other four candidates, who are not expected to reach that threshold, include veteran economist Yavlinski – the architect of Gorbachov’s economic reforms – whose party Yábloko has no parliamentary representation. In what could be his last campaign, he has also criticized Putin’s policy towards the Ukraine or the annexation of Crimea.

Boris Titov (58), a businessman at the head of the Party of Growth, and Serguei Baburin (59), a nationalist who has already been part of the Duma for the Rodina (Motherland) party, are also participating in the elections. The fourth candidate is Maxim Suraikin (39), a radical communist who some believe was registered to run in order to draw votes away from Grudinin.

Translated by Marisela Trevin

Facebook Twitter Share

Left Voice

Militant journalism, revolutionary politics.

Europe

At a Meeting in Paris, 1,200 People Put Revolution Back on the Agenda

Last Wednesday, 1,200 people attended a meeting of Révolution Permanente, the sister site of Left Voice in France. The group has been playing an important role in the fight against neoliberal reforms and the Far Right, while showing that a world beyond capitalism is more possible than ever.

Feargal McGovern

March 12, 2024

Berlinale: Filmmakers Say What the Rest of the World is Saying

At the Berlinale film festival, Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers called for equality and peace. German politicians want to ban such hateful talk.

Nathaniel Flakin

February 28, 2024

“Antideutsche”: The Aberration of Germany’s Pro-Zionist Left

As Germany persists in its unwavering support of Israel and the total denial of its genocide, the German Left is conflicted over the issue. While leftists all over the world are showing solidarity with Palestine, a segment of the German Left is historically pro-Zionist. How did this movement, the so-called Antideutsche (Anti-Germans) come to be?

Seb Zürcher

February 21, 2024

Why German Media are Lying About the Palestine Solidarity Movement at the Free University of Berlin

A rally in front of the Free University of Berlin had as many journalists as demonstrators. This is yet another example of the international campaign to defame all protests against Israel's genocidal military campaign.

Nathaniel Flakin

February 16, 2024

MOST RECENT

Former president Donald Trump standing at a podium in front of American flags.

To Stop Trump, We Need Much More Democracy, Not Less

Democrats have been trying to kick Trump off the ballot as an "insurrectionist." Liberals say we have to restrict democracy in order to save it. As socialists, we think they have it backwards: to beat the Far Right, we need a mass movement fighting for radical democracy.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 18, 2024

Declaration: End Imperialist Intervention in Haiti, Solidarity with the Haitian People

The “Multinational Security Support Mission” announced by the United States marks a new imperialist-colonial intervention in Haiti by the United States, the UN, and their allies.

“Poor Things” Floats Like a Butterfly and Stings Like a Butterfly

Poor Things is a fantastical comedy with beautiful set design and costumes and an Oscar-winning performance from Emma Stone. So why did it leave me feeling so empty? Despite juggling feminist and socialist ideas, the film is ideologically muddled and often self-contradictory.

Basil Rozlaban

March 16, 2024

New Jersey Democrats Attack the Public’s Right to Government Records

The New Jersey state assembly, led by the Democratic Party, just tried to fast-track a bill that would have gutted the Open Public Records Act. This is a reminder that their party is an obstacle, not an ally, in the fight to preserve democracy.

Samuel Karlin

March 15, 2024