Jordan Daily – Russian President Vladimir Putin won a record 87% of votes in the presidential election, according to preliminary results announced on state television, following a survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).
The Russian Central Election Commission reported that with 36.3 percent of polling stations counted, Putin’s share of the vote was significantly higher than the 64-68 percent he secured in the 2018 elections.
Election commission head Ella Pamfilova declared “Russia has made its choice,” citing a record turnout of 74.22 percent.
Russian authorities stressed the need for unity behind Putin, framing Russia’s military operation in Ukraine as a response to Western efforts to destabilize the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the results by accusing Putin of being “obsessed with power” and seeking to “rule indefinitely.”
The election was denounced as “illegal, unfree, and unfair” by Poland, while British Foreign Secretary David Cameron expressed regret over the absence of “free and fair” elections in Russia.
Leonid Volkov, a former aide to the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny now in exile, said on his social media account that the vote percentages attributed to Putin were “surely disconnected from reality.”
Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, lauded Putin’s “remarkable victory.”
