Hope and a prayer in Gaza
Zhirinovsky advocated for a monarchist “supreme ruler” of Russia and pledged to “drive into the Kremlin and shoot” his opponents if elected in 2018.
Slutsky has been accused of multiple incidents of sexual harassment.
The fourth candidate is Vladislav Davankov of the New People party, who has also pledged not to criticise Putin but criticised state censorship and called for “peace and negotiations” in the war in Ukraine.
The outcome
PUTIN is certain to win the election easily, with no credible opposition. Opinion polling has him at between 57% and 74%, with none of his three rivals even able to get into double figures
The incumbent has been accused of repressing – or even murdering – opposition and running an autocratic regime, but remains genuinely popular with the electorate. United Russia, his former party, has 324 of the 450 seats in the Duma, equivalent to 72%, following the most recent election in 2021.
For reference, when Leonid Brezhnev was re-elected as leader of the Soviet Union in 1974, the electorate could vote only for the Communist Party or independent candidates, and the CPSU took 73% of the seats. It has been alleged that residents in the occupied Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk have been coerced into voting in the election.
While there is no doubt Putin will win, he is likely seeking a high turnout both in Russia and in Russianoccupied land in Ukraine to legitimise his rule on the world stage. His armies are making gains in Eastern Ukraine – albeit slowly – having repelled a Ukrainian counter-offensive last year.
With future funding from Nato countries in doubt, the president will see his re-election as further incentive for the Western world to come to a settlement.