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Putin "will easily win the new elections"

2023-08-07 11:20:44, Kosova & Bota CNA

Putin "will easily win the new elections"

Russian President Vladimir Putin

A year before Russia's presidential election, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the New York Times that President Vladimir Putin "will be re-elected next year with over 90 percent of the vote."

Putin, who has been in power as prime minister and president since late 1999, has largely removed the elements of democracy and freedom that were established three decades ago after the collapse of the Soviet Union. During his rule, he launched the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.

In the August 6 interview, Peskov made a surprising statement about the Russian presidential election, saying "it's not a democracy, it's an expensive bureaucracy."

Putin, who has used the harshest crackdown on the Russian opposition since Soviet times, is expected to win the election easily.

He has jailed opponents, subjugated the political system and suppressed media freedom, turning elections into a farce of ballot box stuffing and electoral fraud.

However, the Kremlin has continued to insist that Russian elections are free. After the publication of the article by the New York Times on August 6, Peskov claimed that it was misquoted by this American media.

During an interview with the RBK news agency on August 6, Peksov attempted to reframe his comments, saying that "theoretically" Russia does not need to hold presidential elections because "it is clear that Putin will be re-elected."

It is unclear who will challenge Putin in the election, in an environment where almost any criticism of Russian leaders leads to investigations.

Last week, Russia sentenced opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 19 years in prison, and he will be behind bars until 2040.

Navalny, who has investigated corruption at the highest levels of the Russian government, was convicted on charges of extremism. He said that the accusations against him are baseless.

He is just one of several opposition leaders who have been convicted by long sources on trumped-up charges since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine 17 months ago./ REL