Russian President Vladimir Putin was upbeat after profitable a fifth time period in energy in Russia’s presidential election over the weekend. He selected the second to make his first public remarks on the loss of life of his political nemesis, Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, mentioning his identify for the primary time in years.
Putin received Russia’s presidential election with a landslide 87% of the votes, exit polls recommended late Sunday, with votes nonetheless being declared Monday morning, each in Russia and from polls of Russians overseas. The top of Russia’s electoral authorities said Monday morning that voter turnout was a “record-breaking, unprecedented” 77%, up from 67.7% in 2018.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the media at his marketing campaign headquarters in Moscow on March 18, 2024.
Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty Pictures
Within the extremely stage-managed election, every of Putin’s three “opponents” on the poll paper — who belonged to Russia’s “systemic” opposition — garnered round 3-4% of the vote.
Anti-war candidates had been barred from the election and most Russian opposition figures are both in self-imposed exile, have been imprisoned, or killed in Russia, comparable to Navalny, who died in a Russian Arctic penal colony final month.
Navalny’s household and supporters accused Putin of ordering Navalny’s loss of life. The Kremlin denied it had any involvement within the 47-year-old’s loss of life, with Russian authorities saying it was because of “pure causes.”
Putin talks about Navalny
Addressing his supporters and the press at his marketing campaign headquarters final night time, Putin was relaxed and upbeat, pledging to defend and strengthen Russia. He additionally used the second to make his first public feedback on Navalny’s loss of life, and mentioning his most vocal critic’s identify for the primary time in public in years.
Laudator Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Fee, stands in entrance of a projection of a portrait of Alexei Navalny as she presents him with the Bambi within the Braveness class on the seventy fifth Bambi Awards at Bavaria Movie Studios. As there was no signal of life from the imprisoned Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny for days, issues in regards to the 47-year-old are rising.
Image Alliance | Image Alliance | Getty Pictures
When requested by NBC’s Keir Simmons in regards to the loss of life, Putin responded by calling his loss of life a “unhappy occasion” and claiming he had been ready to contain Navalny in a prisoner swap with the West.
“As for Mr. Navalny. He has perished, that is all the time a tragic occasion. Properly, now we have had different cases when folks died in jail. Has nothing like that ever occurred within the U.S.? It has occurred, and never as soon as,” Putin advised the assembled press and supporters Sunday night time, in feedback translated by NBC.
“By the best way, this shall be sudden however a number of days earlier than Mr Navalny perished, I used to be advised by a few of my colleagues and the administration staff, some folks, that there’s an thought to alternate Mr Navalny for some folks in jail in Western nations. Consider me or not, the particular person speaking to me hardly completed their sentence after I mentioned: ‘I agree!’ he claimed.
Putin mentioned he had agreed to the proposal on the situation that Navalny ought to by no means return to Russia, the place he was the figurehead of Russia’s opposition motion.
“However sadly, the factor that occurred occurred,” Putin mentioned, including, “Such issues occur, you may’t do something about it. That is life”
Navalny’s supporters mentioned final month that there had been late-stage talks between Russian and Western officers a couple of doable prisoner alternate involving Navalny earlier than his sudden loss of life, which was introduced on Feb. 16.
Final month, Navalny’s allies additionally mentioned that talks with Russian and Western officers a couple of prisoner swap involving Navalny had been underway. The politician’s longtime affiliate Maria Pevchikh mentioned the talks had been of their last levels simply days earlier than the Kremlin critic’s sudden and unexplained loss of life.
‘That character’
Putin was rumored to detest Navalny, famously refusing to even utter his largest critic’s identify. Putin’s feedback on Sunday night time are believed to be the primary he has talked about Navalny’s precise identify in years.
The Moscow Instances famous final month that since way back to 2017, Putin has not referred on to the Kremlin’s largest opponent, as a substitute alluding to Navalny as “that character,” “this gentleman,” “a poor excuse for a politician” and “a sure political drive.”
The Russian media had adopted Putin’s cue, airbrushing Navalny out of their media protection. Final night time, when reporting Putin’s feedback, they described the opposition chief as a “blogger.” The opposition chief’s loss of life was barely talked about within the Russian press in any respect.
Predictable win
Throughout Putin’s 24 years in energy, opposition figures have been harassed, intimidated and imprisoned, with a quantity dying in mysterious circumstances.
The erasure of political opponents has made the reelection of Putin a foregone conclusion in latest elections, and in 2024 the Kremlin was seen to be on the lookout for a landslide victory to legitimize Putin’s overseas insurance policies, notably the warfare towards Ukraine.
“We have now many duties forward. However once we are consolidated — regardless of who needs to intimidate us, suppress us — no person has ever succeeded in historical past, they haven’t succeeded now, and they won’t succeed ever sooner or later,” he mentioned as he addressed supporters and the media late Sunday night time, in line with feedback translated by Reuters.
A normal view of the Russia’s Central Election Fee (CEC) Headquarters in Moscow, Russia on March 17, 2024. Putin received Russian presidential election with 87.97% of the vote, first official outcomes confirmed
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Pictures
Russian pro-Kremlin media hailed Putin’s document win, with information company RIA Novosti describing it as “a document within the historical past of recent Russia.” By the top of Putin’s subsequent time period in energy, in 2030, Putin may have overtaken Soviet dictator Josef Stalin because the longest-serving chief in Russia’s trendy historical past.
The U.S., U.Ok. and Ukraine had been among the many nations decrying the most recent Russian poll as “neither free nor truthful.”
1000’s of Russians residing overseas queued up at polling stations outdoors Russian embassies to vote, with many collaborating within the “midday towards Putin” protests following a name from Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya for voters to spoil their votes or to vote for any candidate aside from Putin.
