Regional elections

Putin’s home town in particular was manipulated

President Vladimir Putin's party has all of Russia's regions under control.(Bild: APA/AFP/POOL/Alexey DANICHEV)

Russia's central election commission has reported a higher voter turnout than usual and clear victories for the regional elections that ended on Sunday. However, election observers strongly doubt the Kremlin's account.

For the Kremlin, the three-day regional and local elections were a test of the mood of Russian society and the extent to which it can be controlled and mobilized after two and a half years of aggressive war against Ukraine. "We are seeing very confident, high results for the party of power," commented Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday. According to this, President Vladimir Putin's party, United Russia, won all of its candidates for governorships. The head of the northern metropolis of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, was given a lesson. He was awarded a result of just under 60 percent - the weakest result among the top regional posts.

Voters casting their ballots in St. Petersburg(Bild: APA/AP)

Election Commissioner: "People have shown bravery"
However, observers such as the election rights organization Golos (Voice), which is classified as a foreign agent, pointed out that the state had artificially pushed up the turnout. Ella Pamfilova, the election director appointed by Putin, presented it as if the threat to Russia, the invasion of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, had spurred voters on. "The people have shown maximum responsibility, bravery and real civic courage," said Pamfilova in Moscow. In President Vladimir Putin's home city, observers complained of a particularly high level of election manipulation.

Pressure on voters was higher in the presidential election
Many state employers had urged their employees to vote, the Golos election observers wrote in their report. However, the pressure was less than in the presidential election in March, in which Putin claimed a record 88.5 percent of the vote.

Golos criticized the fact that voting machines, which are difficult to control, are increasingly being used instead of ballot papers. Candidates who were not loyal to the party line were prevented from standing for election. The state-controlled media had prevented a debate on real problems during the election campaign. For Russian voters, elections have degenerated into a "fun procedure with online voting, competitions, game pieces and cakes at the polling station".