Russian President Vladimir Putin won re-election with more
than 75 percent of the vote Sunday, according to exit poll
data.
The Russian strongman's election win keeps him as
Russia's leader for another six years and allows him to
claim the mantle of the vast country's longest-serving ruler
other than Joseph Stalin.
Speaking to a crowd who attended a pop concert near the
Kremlin marking his victory, Putin hailed those who voted
for him as a "big national team," adding that "we are bound
for success." He said that the nation needed unity to move
forward and urged the audience to "think about the future of
our great motherland." He then led the enthusiastic crowd to
chant "Russia!"
Results from more than half of precincts showed Putin
winning over 75 percent of the vote, with Communist
candidate Pavel Grudinin and ultranationalist Vladimir
Zhirinovsky trailing far behind with about 13 and 6 percent,
respectively.
The eight presidential candidates were barred from
campaigning Saturday, but the message to voters was clear
from billboards celebrating Russian greatness — a big
theme of Putin's leadership — and Kremlin- friendly media
coverage.
The last time Putin faced voters was in 2012, when he was
up against a serious opposition movement. But since then
he has boosted his popularity thanks to Russian actions in
Ukraine and Syria.
Yevgeny Roizman, the mayor of Yekaterinburg, Russia's
fourth-largest city, says local officials and state employees
have all received orders "from higher up" to make sure the
presidential vote turnout is more than 60 percent.
"They are using everything: schools, kindergartens, hospitals
— the battle for the turnout is unprecedented," said
Roizman, one of the rare opposition politicians to hold a
significant elected office.
A doctor at one of the city's hospitals told The Associated
Press how one kind of voting pressure works.
The doctor, who gave her name only as Yekaterina because
of fears about repercussions, said she and her co- workers
were told to fill out forms detailing not only where they
would cast their ballots, but also told to give the names and
details of two "allies" whom they promise to persuade to go
vote.
"It's not something you can argue about," she said at a cafe
Saturday. "People were indignant at first, said 'They're
violating our rights' ... but what can you do?"
Yekaterina said she isn't sure what she'll do with her ballot,
musing that "maybe I'll just write 'Putin is a moron.'" But
she clearly understands that not showing up at the polling
place Sunday will not only endanger her job, but will reflect
badly on her boss, whom she likes.
The Russian doctor said she wouldn't go to vote if she
wasn't forced to.
"What's the point? We already know the outcome. This is
just a circus show," she said.
More than 1,500 international observers joined thousands of
Russian observers to watch the vote. A Russian election
monitoring group said Saturday it registered an "alarming"
rise in recent days in complaints that employers were
forcing or pressuring workers to vote.
As U.S. authorities investigate alleged Russian interference
in President Trump's 2016 election, Moscow has warned of
possible meddling in the Russian vote.
Election observers and local media have reported threats
and coercion of voters to re-register at their place of work
and report later that they have voted.
Ella Pamfilova, chairwoman of the Central Election
Commission who was appointed to clean up Russia's
electoral system, vowed to respond to complaints about
being coerced to vote.
"No manager has the right to tell them where to vote," she
said recently.
Putin has pledged to raise wages, pour more funds into the
country's crumbling health care and education and
modernize dilapidated infrastructure.
Putin's main foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was
barred from the race because of a criminal conviction widely
seen as politically motivated. Navalny has called for a
boycott of the vote.
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