The presidential elections in Russia were compared to the Soviet referendum

The New York Times compared the current presidential elections in Russia with a referendum during the Soviet Union. On the first day of voting, the publication published an article in which it spoke about the peculiarities of the procedure, other candidates and the political situation against which the elections are taking place.

"Russia's presidential election, which began Friday and runs through Sunday, has the trappings of a contest but is more of a Soviet-style referendum with a predetermined outcome," the article said.

The New York Times writes that according to the results of the vote, Putin will “without a doubt” be re-elected for a fifth term, and the candidates admitted to the elections cannot pose a real challenge to him. The publication notes that all the politicians represented in the newsletter supported the war in Ukraine, as well as censorship (in particular, the law on “fake news” about the Russian army) and homophobic laws .

Veteran politician Boris Nadezhdin sent Putin's administration into a tizzy when tens of thousands of people across Russia lined up to sign for his nomination. The Kremlin invalidated as many signatures as necessary to stop it,” writes The New York Times.

Although elections have been held in Russia since 1991, the Kremlin uses various tools to ensure victory for its candidate. Among them, in particular, is the electronic voting system. In addition, elections will be held in the occupied regions of Ukraine, where, according to authorities, more than 4.5 million voters live, however, this information cannot be verified in conditions of war, The New York Times notes.

Other major foreign publications also wrote about the presidential elections in Russia.

“In Russia, which is at war, there is only one real candidate and one winner: Vladimir Putin,” writes Reuters.

The article states that support for Putin among Russians allegedly increased against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. The agency cites interviews with “high-ranking Russian sources” and the results of surveys, including surveys by Levada Center.

“Putin sees the war as part of an existential battle with a declining West. [...] This appeals to many Russians who are suspicious of Western policies and intentions, but not Western consumer goods. Top Kremlin officials wear T-shirts with the words “Team Putin” and openly talk about war with NATO,” writes Reuters.

At the same time, the agency noted that after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities, by order of Putin, suppressed any attempts at protest: hundreds of people were detained or arrested for expressing their disagreement with the invasion of Ukraine, and street protests were prohibited.

“The leaders of Russia's fragmented opposition are either abroad, in prison, forced to remain silent, or dead,” the article says.

The Financial Times, on the contrary, published an article about the Russian opposition, repression and the “Noon Against Putin” rally , which will take place at Russian polling stations on the last day of voting.

“This vote is not an election, but a political act, a political flash mob, designed to show how many of us there are,” Mikhail Khodorkovsky said in a conversation with the Financial Times.

Presidential candidate Ekaterina Duntsova, who was not admitted to the elections by the authorities, also spoke to the Financial Times. According to her, standing in line together is the only way left for the Russian opposition to show their position. She recalled the queues of people who wanted to sign for Boris Nadezhdin and say goodbye to Alexei Navalny.

“The symbol of the opposition this year is the queue,” Duntsova said.

The article talks about mass arrests at protests against the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds of people, the publication writes with reference to OVD-Info, received real sentences in correctional colonies. Against this background, explains the Financial Times, a feeling of apathy and hopelessness is growing in Russian society.

“Participants in surveys conducted by a group of independent sociologists, Chronicle, said late last year that, in their opinion, the only events that could prevent Putin’s “ritual re-election” are a meteorite falling to Earth, a nuclear war or his own death.” , says the article.

Bloomberg, citing sources among the Russian authorities, writes that Putin is preparing for a long conflict with Western countries. This is happening against the backdrop of disagreements over military assistance to Ukraine in the United States and strengthening the position of the Russian army at the front.

“Russia needs to establish parallel globalization, build a new world,” said Sergei Markov, a political consultant close to the presidential administration, in a conversation with the publication

Bloomberg claims that Putin has made the war a determining factor in the formation of a new Russian political and business elite. At the same time, against the backdrop of repressions against dissidents, people in Russia feel total fear, the publication writes with reference to the founder of the human rights organization “Memorial” Irina Shcherbakova

“During war, Russia risks becoming a dictatorship that demands complete loyalty. The three other candidates on the ballot represent completely loyal parties and do not even pretend to compete with Putin,” the article says.

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