Elections in Russia:
Presidential elections are being held in Russia over three days from March 15 to March 17. Many believe it is a foregone conclusion that incumbent President Vladimir Putin will win and take office for a fifth term. So why is the Kremlin organizing the presidential election? And from this election can get an idea of the true popularity of President Putin?
Vladimir Putin has been in power in Russia since 2000. First succeeded as acting president by his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, and won his first election in March 2000.
From 2008 to 2012, he changed his role during which time he held the Prime Minister’s chair but kept all power to himself.
At that time, according to the Russian constitution, a president could serve two consecutive terms. That is why he changed his role and once again started his journey to the election as the president.
In 2020, there was a change in that rule of the constitution. It is now widely believed that President Putin will remain in power until 2036.
And until then, he will be Russia’s longest-serving ruler. He will surpass communist leader Joseph Stalin and 18th-century empress Catherine the Great, who both held power for more than 30 years.
Show support
Elections in Russia are never very competitive. But its results are important to legitimize those who come to power and to show that the will of the people matters.
This time, for Vladimir Putin, it is not only important to win, but also to increase voter turnout and support for him.
The country is now in an all-out war that is going to have far-reaching effects on Russia and the rest of the world.
For state officials, this election is a test of their ability to use all administrative means to bring their president a landslide victory.
The Kremlin expects at least 70 percent voter turnout, with 80 percent for Vladimir Putin, reports independent Russian media Medusa. Which surpasses his 76.7 percent in 2018.
The BBC’s research shows that to achieve this result, the administration needs to mobilize all state workers – those working with local and central authorities and those involved in state-controlled corporations – to enthusiastically participate in elections and support the incumbent president.
There are more than one crore voters in the election. These include the occupied territories of Ukraine – Crimea and parts of the Donbas region, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014, as well as residents of parts of eastern and southern Ukraine occupied since February 2022.
Another two million Russians abroad will be able to vote, including 12,000 in neighboring Kazakhstan, where Russia has leased a space launch site in Baikonur.
War and elections
Vladimir Putin has been seen participating in various events of the election campaign. In the beginning, he visited different regions and met students and workers.
Moscow calls the operation in Ukraine a “special military operation”. Vladimir Putin avoided talking about it.
But this war has now become part of everyday life in Russia. International embargoes, limited foreign travel, reduced imports, and a sort of isolation from Europe and North America.
The war claimed the lives of thousands of Russian soldiers. Millions more Russians, mostly young, educated, and from upper-class families, have left the country in the past 24 months, either because they are not in favor of the war or because they refuse to go to war.
So even if the war issue is absent from the election campaign, it is a major concern for the media and ordinary Russians have no way of avoiding it.
High voter turnout and overwhelming support for the president would effectively legitimize all of his upcoming decisions, including war.