France estimated on Monday that “the conditions for a free, pluralist and democratic election” had not been “once again” met in Russia, after the re-election on Sunday of President Vladimir Putin. In power for almost a quarter of a century, the Russian president was re-elected for six more years in the Kremlin, according to almost complete results of an unopposed presidential election.
A context of “increased repression”
The electoral process in Russia took place “in the context of increased repression against civil society and any form of opposition to the regime, ever-increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and “ban on the operation of independent media”, underlined the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He thus recalls the death of political opponent Alexeï Navalny “a few weeks before this election, in particular following the tightening of his detention conditions by the Russian authorities”.
“The courage of many Russian citizens” praised by the Quai d’Orsay
Paris also “regrets” that the election took place “outside any impartial international observation”. In this context, the Quai d’Orsay salutes “the courage of the many Russian citizens who peacefully demonstrated their opposition to this attack on their fundamental political rights.”
France also “condemns” the organization by Moscow of “alleged ‘elections’ in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia” in Crimea, in the city of Sevastopol as well as in part of the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson .
She sees this as a new violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. “France does not recognize and will never recognize the holding and results of these so-called ‘elections’ and reaffirms its attachment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Finally, Paris condemns the installation by Russia of polling stations in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as in the Transnistria region of the Republic of Moldova, “without the consent of the authorities of Georgia and of Moldova. On Monday, the head of the Russian Electoral Commission welcomed the “record” score of Vladimir Putin, re-elected with 87.29% of the vote, after counting 99.75% of the ballots.