Vladimir Putin claims fifth presidential term

Russia’s Vladimir Putin has secured an exceptionally strong victory in the country’s presidential election, a triumph marred by the public outbreak of dissenting voices and widespread accusations of democratic illegitimacy. [1]

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Western criticism of the election Putin’s win set to cause further repression Analysis Also read

On Monday, the Central Election Commission (CEC) reported that Putin had taken an unprecedented 87.3 per cent of the vote, marking the highest-ever result in Russia’s post-Soviet history, in addition to a record turnout figure of 77.5 per cent. [2]

While addressing reporters at a post-election news conference, Putin considered the outcome as proof of Russia’s toughness against external pressures, vowing to lead the country for another six years.

“No matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, no matter who or how much they want to suppress us, our will, our consciousness — no-one has ever succeeded in anything like this in history. It has not worked now and will not work in the future. Never.” [3]

Western criticism of the election

As expected, the vote received condemnation from Western countries before and after it took place, with the United States and the United Kingdom asserting that the whole process lacked legitimacy. [1]

The British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, in an X post, said of the news,

“The polls have closed in Russia, following the illegal holding of elections on Ukrainian territory, a lack of choice for voters, and no independent OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] monitoring. This is not what free and fair elections look like.” [4]

Likewise, John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesperson, criticised Putin’s suppression of political opponents.

“The elections are obviously not free nor fair, given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him.” [3]

Putin’s win set to cause further repression

A former KGB officer and FSB Director, Putin’s victory is likely to worsen political repression and strangle dissent within Russia. [5]

Opposition figures, including the prominent critic Alexey Navalny, have faced imprisonment, exile, death, or all three. Navalny apparently died in suspicious circumstances on 16 February, while serving a 19-year sentence in the Russian Arctic prison FKU IK-3. [6]

In remarks shared with the Guardian, a former Russian official made reference to the ongoing Ukraine war, saying,

“You are dealing with the person who started this war; he has already made a mistake of such a scale that he cannot ever admit it to himself, and he can’t lose the war either. For him, that would be the end of the world.

“We all — thanks to Putin — have been led into such a s**tshow that there is no good outcome. The only options go from unbelievably bad to catastrophic.” [5]

Going further to hint at potential nuclear conflict, the unnamed source added,

“…if Putin begins to lose, then we may all see the stars in the sky.” [5]

Analysis

ANALYSIS

Fadlur Rahman

Imam, Northwich Muslim Cultural Centre

Longest-serving leader since Stalin

It was certainly not a great surprise when Vladimir Putin won this landslide victory, securing his presidency until 2030 at the earliest.

While he may feel there was no doubt in the result, there is always a doubt in its legitimacy when an incredible 87 per cent of the vote is his and credible reports from Politico and others suggest that even the dead were part of the vote!

However, if you take the corruption out of the recent performance, this election was important to Putin, as it was an exercise in showing that he holds favour with a significant majority of the population.

And this being the first modern election where Russia is in a major war, an air of national unity was obviously going to increase Putin's perceived legitimacy, in addition to the move to forcibly include five occupied Ukrainian provinces in the count.

Voters against Putin defied threats

On 17 March, there was a call for anti-war supporters to assemble at 'noon against Putin', and thousands gathered across approximately 95,000 polling stations as a show of dissent.

The propaganda apparatus of Russia was always going to be far too large and powerful for such protests to make a dent, but it was nonetheless important and hugely symbolic.

Western media hysterical upon result

Outlets in Western countries highlighted that fatigue over the Ukraine war within the Russian populace was something Putin was struggling to fight back on. A large supportive electorate has now dismissed that notion.

It is fair to say that the West has been enraged. Germany called it a 'pseudo-election' under an authoritarian ruler, reliant on censorship, repression, and violence, whilst UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron condemned 'the illegal holding of elections on Ukrainian territory'.

At the same time, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said, '...the Russian dictator is simulating another election'.

Regardless, Putin is still President and will still remain a sharp thorn in their side. One thing is painfully clear, this election was a sideshow, with Ukraine still the main play.

ANALYSIS

Shaheer Choudhury

Head of Editorial

Viewing world events through a Muslim lens

Vladimir Putin is someone who has skilfully played the political system within Russia since 1999.

He has twice held the office of Prime Minister (from 1999-2000 and 2008-12) in addition to three spells as President (first in 1999-2000, followed by 2000-08, and his current spell which began in 2012).

What matters most is not how long he has been in power, but on how he has engaged with Muslim countries, and Muslim communities. What has Putin been responsible for in places like Mali, Syria, the Central African Republic, and Libya?

Here, we can take a look at a few of the above.

Syria

Since the dictator Bashar al-Assad launched a devastating crackdown after many Syrians peacefully called for better living standards and a change in government in March 2011, March 2023 figures calculated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) show that close to 614,000 have perished in the ongoing civil war. Of these, 162,390 are civilians.

Russia has had a significant military presence in the country since it openly intervened in September 2015. It has sent around 20,000 in military personnel, including naval, army, and air-based troops.

It has played a hand in the deaths of at least 8,723 — according to SOHR figures.

Libya

Since 2014, the country has been locked in a civil war owing to the destruction carried out by Western forces led by the UK and US — and supported by French, Canadian, and other NATO allies — wherein the veteran leader and tyrant Muammar Gaddafi was killed.

There are currently two different governments, both of which believe they are the sole representatives of Libya. One side is supported by Turkey and the international community, whilst the other is led by the warlord General Haftar.

Russia's paramilitary Wagner Group has been actively involved in the country since late 2018. These forces have been responsible for a number of killings since then.

Mali

Since January 2012, Mali has been facing a civil war, with Russia intervening on behalf of the government in 2021.

In May 2023, a UN report concluded that Russian forces — either government or mercenaries from the Wagner Group — were responsible for the deaths of 500 civilians.

In addition to the deaths, reports of rape and other methods of torture were documented by the UN investigation.

The bottom line

None of what has been detailed above is shared with the intent to demoralise.

Rather, it is about maintaining an awareness of the situations faced by Muslims around the world and recognising that, generally, we must focus on Muslim issues above other matters.

The bottom line is that we need to ask ourselves the question, is this the right person for the job, will they be the most likely to act in the interests of the Muslims at large? We should apply this thinking to all those in high office in non-Muslim countries.