Russia: mock election for Putin’s 4th term

Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin issued a televised appeal to Russians to go to the polls “out of patriotism” between 15 and 17 March for the presidential elections. But in Russia, as elsewhere, no one is fooled: the election has already been decided for the head of the Kremlin, who does not even deign to campaign. Symbolic opposition from a few parties may be tolerated, but there is no alternative. The assassination of Alexei Navalny in February and the beating a few days ago in Lithuania of Leonid Volkov, his right-hand man, served as a grim wake-up call for all opposition voices. A brave few, including Navalny’s widow, are nevertheless calling for symbolic gestures of resistance on election day. Vladimir Putin has now governed Russia for 24 years and, at the end of this new 6-year term, could reach the record for longevity (since the 1917 revolution) held by Joseph Stalin…

Find all the archives of our weekly editorials here!