According to Moscow’s “pollinators”
Putin will probably get a record result in the “election”.
March 11, 2024, 4:18 p.m
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People in Russia don’t really have a choice. The only war opponent is not allowed to take part; Vladimir Putin’s competitors are either supporters of him or on the Kremlin line. An “opinion research institute” is now predicting record results for the current president.
“Opinion researchers” close to the Kremlin have prepared the Russians for a big election victory for incumbent Vladimir Putin ahead of the presidential election this Sunday after the opposition was excluded. According to a survey of eligible voters, Putin could expect 82 percent of the vote, said the controversial “opinion research institute” Vziom in Moscow, which is under state influence. The three competitors, who either openly support Putin or are clearly in line with the Kremlin, are considered to have no chance, each with between five or six percent of the vote.
According to the survey, a voter turnout of 71 percent is expected. The state-affiliated “opinion surveys” in Russia are seen as an important instrument for the power apparatus to measure the effectiveness of Kremlin propaganda, for example in the state media.
According to observers, state television controlled by the Kremlin, which is mainly used by many older Russians in the countryside, has a strong influence on people’s thinking. Putin is traditionally portrayed there as having no alternative. The 71-year-old is running in the vote scheduled for March 15-17 to be confirmed in office for the fifth time. The central election commission did not allow opposing candidates to take part in the ballot.
Navalny supporters are calling for protest at the election
Putin, who has been in power for almost a quarter of a century and has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for more than two years, is promoting the election as a vote on “Russia’s future.” Above all, he portrays the war against Ukraine as a fight against Western striving for supremacy, which affects many people in Russia.
If Putin gets more than 80 percent of the vote, it would be his highest result in a presidential election. This could also be seen as an expression of a high level of self-confidence on the part of the power apparatus. In 2018 he received 76.7 percent of the vote with a turnout of 67.5 percent. The election commission puts the number of eligible voters in Russia at 112 million. In addition, there are almost two million Russians abroad.
The team around Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in the prison camp, has called for a protest vote this Sunday. Accordingly, Putin opponents should appear at polling stations at 12 p.m. to show that they are against the Kremlin boss.