DISINFO: Elections are fair in Russia: the opposition is free to run for the presidency
SUMMARY
Western media strongly criticise the Russian presidential elections, saying that there is no opposition, that the vote is already determined because Vladimir Putin ruled out his competitors. The claim that other opponents were excluded from the vote is incorrect: there are 4 candidates, so it means that 3 of them are real alternatives to Putin, not clones.
People like Boris Nadezhdin were not registered as candidates because they violated electoral laws by submitting too many invalid signatures to the electoral commission, including those from deceased individuals or paid signatories. Candidates who commit fraud are not permitted to compete, and they are neither well-known nor supported by the Russian public.
People from the non-systemic opposition like Alexey Navalny are also not allowed to register and jailed because they are criminals. The Russian pseudo-opposition is full of scammers, embezzlers, tax evaders, and people publishing false information, or outright defamation, and who end up in prison or go abroad to avoid ending up there after conviction.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative praising Russian democracy and Vladimir Putin's legitimacy.
The three competitors that were on ballot papers besides Vladimir Putin are not seen by many Russians as real alternatives: a reportage from the BBC says: I've met many Russians like Alexander who cannot imagine anyone else in the Kremlin. Not because they idolise Mr Putin. They just see no alternative. I've often heard people say: "Well, if not Putin, who then?"
See RT / Russia Today Chief Editor Margarita Simonyan dismissing to BBC the basic need for electoral competing.
The assertion that Vladimir Putin's 24-year rule represents a triumph for democracy is misleading, especially considering that no other candidate has a realistic opportunity to challenge him in the elections. It is also crucial to note the incarceration of election observers, such as Golos co-chairman Grigory Melkonyants and the jailing of political opponents under harsh conditions.
One prominent recent example is Alexei Navalny, who died in February 2024 under dubious conditions in a strict penal colony in Russia, which lead EU issuing sanctions against penal colonies and individuals in March 2024. Additionally, the detention of foreign journalists like Evan Gershkovich or Alsu Kurmashev further underscores the repressive political climate.
The definition of democracy is not the popularity and longevity of the leader, but rather the quality of institutions and the balance of powers that guarantee freedom and the equality of individual rights.
In recent years, the legal framework has imposed additional limitations on holding public assemblies and increased criminal liability for related violations. It has also expanded the status of ‘foreign agents’ to include private individuals, and further tightened control over media and the Internet. Following the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, civil rights and freedom of speech have been even more severely curtailed.
The expansion of Russia into new regions taken from neighbouring countries, such as Ukraine, is not a reflection of Russia's purported high democratic standards, but rather a manifestation of imperialistic expansionism. The so called 'referendums', which are in a clear violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, were held illegally, under duress, and on territories over which Russia only has partial military control. This is an attempt to cast a veil of legitimacy over Russia’s illegal occupation.
The results of these 'sham polls' have been universally rejected by leading international and human rights organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE, NATO, as well as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Read also related stories such as: Non-systemic opposition exists in the EU, like in Russia, A majority of the Russians support the path, set by Vladimir Putin, or Alexey Navalny is in prison for economic crimes, or Vladimir Putin was democratically elected unlike Joe Biden, or Russian electoral system is one of the most advanced worldwide, or Russian government, unlike France or the EU, has a legitimacy that comes from the masses.