Russian President, Vladimir Putin has secured his fifth term in office after winning a landslide victory.
The exit polls indicated that Putin garnered an overwhelming 87% of the vote in his favour.
On Monday, Russia’s election commission announced that over 99% of the ballots had been counted, revealing his highest-ever tally, surpassing the 76.69% achieved in 2018.
Additionally, the commission noted a turnout of 77.44%, marking the highest in Russia’s modern history.
The other three candidates on the ballot represented parties aligned with the Kremlin’s interests: Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party, Leonid Slutsky from the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, and Vladislav Davankov of the New People party, the youngest contender, whom the Kremlin sought to portray as having more liberal tendencies.
For years, Russian elections have been marred by widespread fraud allegations. However, this time, the outcome was never uncertain, and the Kremlin’s overwhelming endorsement is likely to fuel further suspicions.
According to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, the “remarkable level” of support for Putin is the “strongest indication that all allegations of illegal elections are untrue.”
Putin aged 71 has been in office since 2002.
After 24 years of leadership, he is nearing the record set by Soviet leader Josef Stalin, making him one of Russia’s longest-serving modern rulers.
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