Photo : Messenger
The presidential election in Russia is over. The three-day polling began on Friday and ended on Sunday. For the first time, one-third of the country's electoral votes were cast electronically. Russians could vote from 144 countries around the world. Even Russian cosmonauts in space were able to vote. Russian citizens living in Bangladesh also voted. Expatriate Russian citizens also cast their votes. For the first time, voters in four regions of Ukraine that have been annexed to Russia - Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk - cast their ballots.
As many as 1,115 high-level representatives from 129 countries have come as observers in this election. They traveled across Russia to observe the Russian presidential election in 11 time zones. Until 5 hours before the end of polling on the third day, 90 percent of votes had been cast online, and 68 percent had been cast offline.
Putin has been in power in Russia since 1999, sometimes as president, sometimes as prime minister. The last elections were held in 2018. Putin won that election. He won this election for six years and will remain in power until 2030. And Putin is waiting to make history. He will stay in power longer than any other leader in the country's history. Joseph Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev were in power for 24 years each. Several opinion polls have shown Putin gaining the support of most Russian citizens. In a survey last month, Putin received the support of 75 percent of people. There were four candidates in the fray.
The website of Russia's election commission has been attacked by cyber-attacks from some Western countries. There were four strong cyber-attacks on the Election Commission's website. However, the hackers have been foiled - the website is running normally, said the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova.
In a speech before the election, Vladimir Putin urged all voters to cast their ballots. He said, “Now, we have to move forward united. All voters want to see a strong, prosperous, and independent Russia to improve the standard of living. And this can only be done by voting.”
The Russians responded to Putin's call. Voting takes place in a festive atmosphere in Russia. Many voters were accompanied by their families. A lot of parents brought their children with them. They say it's a citizen's responsibility to vote. “I got my family with me. We must teach our children to vote. We love our country.”
Putin had threatened to retaliate for Ukraine's attacks on the country's border areas even before the election. The Russian president accused Kyiv of trying to derail his election campaign. Putin addressed the Security Council on the first day of the vote. He said a strong response would be given to the deadly Ukrainian air strikes on the border towns of Belgorod and Kursk. “The enemy will not be forgiven for these attacks. The attacks were aimed at interfering in the presidential election.”
Messenger/Fameema
