In elections in Russia, the Kremlin sets the framework so that the desired outcome is achieved. Nevertheless, the results say something about political sentiments – as in Vladimir Putin’s home country.
According to official figures, the Kremlin party United Russia has won all of its candidates for governorships in the Russian regional elections. However, the governor of the northern city of St. Petersburg, which has a population of one million, Alexander Beglov, was given a lesson. He was credited with a result of just under 60 percent – the weakest result in 21 votes nationwide for top regional posts.
In Russia’s most westernized city, Beglow (68) is considered unpopular because of his mismanagement; he can only hold on with the support of the Kremlin. In President Vladimir Putin’s hometown, independent observers complained of a particularly high level of election manipulation. The official counting in St. Petersburg was still underway on Monday.
Many governors at almost 80 percent
In other regions, results of around 80 percent were announced for the incumbents, such as Igor Babushkin in the Astrakhan region (78.17 percent) or Vladimir Vladimirov in the Stavropol region (79.61 percent). In the Kursk region, which is partially occupied by Ukrainian troops, the acting governor Alexander Smirnov was credited with around 65 percent. He had cut a rather unfortunate figure in public appearances, given the exceptional crisis for Russia, with parts of the state territory being under foreign control. Special polling stations were set up for around 120,000 refugees from the contested region.
During the three-day election from Friday to Sunday, several regional parliaments were also re-elected. For the leadership in Moscow, the vote was also a test of the mood among the population after two and a half years of war.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
