Putin wins landslide in Russian election
PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia’s election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on power in a victory he said showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine.
The outcome means Putin, 71, is set to embark on a new six-year term that will see him overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia’s longest-serving leader for more than 200 years if he completes it.
Putin won 87.8 percent of the vote, the highest ever result in Russia’s post-Soviet history, according to an exit poll by pollster the Public Opinion Foundation. The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre put Putin on 87 percent. First official results indicated the polls were accurate.
Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov finished second with just under 4 percent, newcomer Vladislav Davankov third, and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky fourth, partial results suggested.
Putin told supporters in a victory speech in Moscow that he would prioritize resolving tasks associated with what he called Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine and would strengthen the military.
“We have many tasks ahead. But when we are consolidated — no matter who wants to intimidate us, suppress us — nobody has ever succeeded in history, they have not succeeded now, and they will not succeed ever in the future,” said Putin.
Supporters chanted “Putin, Putin, Putin” when he appeared on stage and “Russia, Russia, Russia” after he had delivered his acceptance speech.
Putin told reporters he regarded Russia’s election as democratic and said the Navalny-inspired protest against him had had no effect on the election’s outcome.
During a press conference following the completion of Russia’s presidential elections, Putin said relations between Russia and China have developed well over the previous two decades. “They are very stable, they complement each other,” he said.
“The most important thing is the coincidence of state interests. This creates a very good tone for solving common problems in the field of international relations,” the president said.
He said that China is very active in the international arena and is achieving great success. “She has a lot of friends all over the world,” he added.
Putin expressed confidence that bilateral collaboration will continue to strengthen in the coming years.
“I am sure that in the coming years we will only strengthen and build up our relations and achieve common successes for the benefit of the Chinese and Russian peoples,” he said.
When asked by the NBC, a US TV network, whether his re-election was democratic, Putin criticized the US political and judicial systems.
“The whole world is laughing at what is happening (in the United States),” he said. “This is just a disaster, not a democracy.”
“...Is it democratic to use administrative resources to attack one of the candidates for the presidency of the US, using the judiciary among other things?” he asked.
The three-day vote — also held in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine — saw a surge of Ukrainian bombardments on Russian border regions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Putin on his reelection.
In recent years, the Russian people have united as one, overcome challenges, and made steady progress towards national development and revitalization, Xi said, adding that Putin’s reelection fully reflects the Russian people’s support for him.
Russia will surely make greater achievement under Putin’s leadership, Xi added in his message.
Noting that China attaches great importance to the development of China-Russia relations, Xi said China stands ready to maintain close communication with Russia to promote the sustained, sound, stable and indepth development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.
(Agencies)