2024 RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. VLADIMIR PUTIN SCORES HIS HISTORIC WIN

The three-day voting in the seventh presidential election in Russian modern history ended on March 17, 2024. For the first time the voting was held in four new Russian regions – Kherson and Zaporozhye, as well as Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

Ballot papers offered a choice of four presidential candidates. Except for the incumbent president, Vladimir Putin, other candidates were nominated by the parliamentary parties.

Record turnout

A record number of 112.3 million voters (74%) took part in the election. This is the highest engagement in Russian modern history, unseen for more than two decades.

A similar turnout was recorded only in 1991 at the first and only presidential elections in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, when Russia was still a part of the USSR. At that time, around 74% of voters cast their ballot papers.

The average turnout at the all presidential elections held in Russia ranged between 64% and 69%.

First vote in new territories

For the first time, people in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as in Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, took part in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, after four regions joined Russia following referenda in September 2022.

The new territories demonstrated high turnout amounted to 83.7%; 85%; 87% and 88% for the Kherson, Zaporozhye, LPR and DPR, respectively.

New rules & voting options

It was also the first time when presidential election in Russia was held over three days, between March 15 and 17. The new voting rules were adopted by the lawmakers and signed by President Putin in 2020. The decision was driven by the need to provide people with more opportunities for “exercising voting rights.” Russians could cast ballot papers at any time between 8am and 8pm on any of the three days.

Residents of many Russian regions, including Moscow, also had the opportunity to vote online. Voters whose identities had been verified with various online services could do that by using an electronic services portal.

In other regions, a preliminary request was required. An online voting monitor reported that over 4.7 million people registered for electronic voting, and 94% of them did so.

Election disruption attempts

This year’s ballot also saw sporadic attempts to interfere with the work at polling stations. There were 30 such cases when perpetrators tried to attack ballot boxes. In eight cases, attempts were made to set the boxes on fire; there were also attempts to pour dyed liquids inside the boxes.

Kherson and Zaporozhye regions reported several Ukrainian attacks targeting polling stations, including drone strikes and shelling. The attacks led to injuries.

Candidates

The election held in March is the fifth for Russia’s incumbent leader, Vladimir Putin. Since 2018, he has not been nominated as a party candidate while enjoying the support of several political forces, including the governing United Russia Party.

This year’s election the Communist Party of Russia nominated Nikolay Kharitonov, a veteran politician who previously ran for president in 2004 and took the second place. In 2024 his election program included a progressive tax scale, abolishing taxes for lowincome citizens, lowering the retirement age, etc.

The right-wing Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) was represented by its new leader, Leonid Slutsky, who took over after the passing in 2022 of its long-time head, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. In foreign policy Slutsky advocated close cooperation with Asian countries while insisting that the West is a threat, and also calling for tighter control over “foreign agents” and accelerating Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine.

The fourth candidate was Vladislav Davankov, MP and member of the New People Party created in 2021. His political career started only three years ago, but Davankov has already become a member of the Budget and Tax Committee of the State Duma and its Vice Chairman. Last year, he ran for the Moscow mayor’s office.

Results

Vladimir Putin was re-elected president of Russia. He claimed 87.28% of the votes. Putin’s candidacy was supported by over 75 million voters. His opponents - Nikolay Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov and Leonid Slutsky scored 4.31%; 3.85% and 3.20% of the votes, respectively.

Despite all the attempts to disrupt the voting abroad, the election was successful in foreign countries too.

“The malefactors actively used various methods of pressure and blackmail, intimidation of voters and tried with all their might to disrupt the elections, to question their legality and legal purity. Our ministry and foreign institutions successfully coped with the task. Hundreds of thousands of Russians were able to exercise their constitutional right,” the Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Vladimir Putin has been inaugurated as President of Russia on May 7, 2024. In his speech at the ceremony he emphasized that “the consolidated will of millions of people is a tremendous force, as well as evidence of our shared firm conviction that we will determine the fate of Russia ourselves for the sake of present and future generations”, and extended his gratitude to the citizens of Russia for support. “This is of great importance right now, as we face serious challenges. I see this as your deep awareness of our common historical goals, and unwavering resolve to defend our choices, our values, our freedom and Russia’s national interests”, added the Russian President.

The Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Namibia