The Russian Election Commission announced on Sunday the victory of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party in local elections held in four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow, a vote rejected by Kiev.
Officials appointed by Russia, as well as the Election Commission, said that voters in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine that are partly controlled by Russian forces overwhelmingly supported the United Russia party, claiming that the party won in each region with more than 70 percent of the votes.
Russian voters cast their votes on Sunday in these regional elections, which were expected to witness no surprises in light of the silencing of opposition voices and critics of the conflict in Ukraine.
The Central Electoral Commission in Russia had reported earlier on Sunday evening that the “United Russia” party led by President Vladimir Putin was leading the results of the regional elections in the four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow.
The head of the Central Electoral Commission, Ayla Pamfilova, said in a statement on Telegram that “the elections took place in a dynamic manner, with minor violations” that were observed.
With these elections, which were distributed over three days, from Friday to Sunday, Moscow is trying to legitimize the annexation of Ukrainian regions through voting in the occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Despite condemnation from Western countries, Russia announced in September 2022 the annexation of four Ukrainian regions that it partially controls, namely Zaporizhya, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, following “referendums” that were not recognized by the international community.
Battles continue in these areas, with the Ukrainian army launching its counterattack.
There was no opposition represented “from outside the regime”: opponents were either in prison or in exile.
Therefore, it was expected that the results of these elections, which were organized to appoint representatives of regions and municipal councils, would not entail a surprise.
But this time, the elections came months before the presidential election scheduled for early 2024, which may keep Putin in power until 2030.
Vote on the impact of fighting
In the four areas under Moscow’s control, the occupation authorities did everything in their power to create a semblance of normal life, despite the ongoing fighting.
In Donetsk, voters cast their ballots while Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo declared Friday a public holiday so that every citizen could “express their position.”
In many Russian regions, where voter flow is traditionally most important, the Ukrainian conflict was dominant even if election posters did not mention it directly.
In Rostov-sur-le-Don, the largest city in southwestern Russia close to Ukraine, which was attacked by marches this week, two voters told AFP on Sunday near a polling station that this armed conflict was their main concern.
“Above all, we want to live in peace, we and our children,” said Nina Antonova, a 40-year-old professional protection specialist.
“Everyone is busy with only one thing: the war,” said Anatoly, an 84-year-old retiree. “We have no other problems.”
In Moscow, the election campaign was not dominant, as posters of candidates, including outgoing mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who is loyal to Vladimir Putin and has been in office since 2010, were rare on the streets.
However, Sobyanin has been a strong presence on television in recent days, announcing new regional train lines, a toll highway or the opening of modernized hospitals.
Residents of Moscow expressed to Agence France-Presse their appreciation for the recent transformation taken by the Russian capital under the leadership of Sobyanin, who in recent months also worked to reassure residents by downplaying the danger of the marches increasingly targeting Moscow.
Rukhin Aliyev, a 21-year-old student, said, “Moscow is thriving before our eyes!”
For her part, Olga, a 67-year-old retiree, said, “We only support him.”
Communist in the vanguard
Hundreds of kilometers southwest of Moscow, in Ukraine’s border regions that are regularly targets of attacks by Kiev, the vote was held under precarious security conditions.
The head of the Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova, announced that voting in the town of Shibykino in the Belgorod region “was postponed due to the high level of alert.”
However, the only political fact worth noting is that the Communist Party candidate Valentin Konovalov (35 years old) in southern Siberia is seeking re-election in the mountainous, sparsely populated region of Khakassia.
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2023-09-10 23:39:11
