Opposition launches campaign against Putin

Elections in Russia - Opposition launches campaign against Putin

Kremlin opponents led by imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny have launched a campaign against head of state Vladimir Putin ahead of the presidential election on March 17. "Russia without Putin" is the name of the campaign, in which citizens are asked to vote for any candidate - just not for the incumbent, according to the team working in exile abroad. In Russia, there is always a dispute in opposition circles as to whether an election boycott or Navalny's line promises to be more successful in expressing displeasure with Putin.

According to Navalny's supporters, all citizens are being called upon to persuade other opponents of Putin to go to the polls in the next 100 days. The Kremlin's opponents also launched a website with explanations on how to vote. The elections are a parody. "But any elections, even the most rigged ones, are a time of doubt. People think about who is in power and why," Navalny's team continued.

The main task of the opposition and honest citizens is to address these doubts and make people realize that Putin is harming the country. "For Putin, the 2024 elections are a referendum on his actions, on the war," the appeal said. The majority of Russians do not want to see Putin at the head of the country. "The results of the vote will be falsified, but our task is to make it clear to everyone that Russia no longer needs Putin."

Navalny's team also published a video of a large billboard erected in Putin's home city of St. Petersburg. It reads "Russia", congratulations for the New Year and a QR code. Anyone who downloads the code on their cell phone will be taken to the opposition's page with the title: "Russia without Putin".

Putin can run again - thanks to constitutional amendment

This morning, the Federation Council - the upper house of parliament - officially scheduled the presidential election for March 17, 2024. This marks the official start of the election campaign, said Federation Council head Valentina Matviyenko. It is assumed that Putin will soon officially declare his expected candidacy. State television has already been showing programs for days in which citizens swear allegiance to the 71-year-old Kremlin leader and pledge to vote for him in his fifth candidacy.

Putin had the constitution amended in 2020 specifically so that he could run again. If he is re-elected, he can remain in office until 2030 and contest the vote for the last time in 2036.

Polling stations will once again be open for three days, according to the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova. The organization of voting in the Russian-occupied parts of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk is to be decided at a later date. Ukraine continues to fight with Western help to wrest the annexed territories back from Russia. Due to the war, there will be no presidential elections in Ukraine in the spring.

The Kremlin is expecting a record result for Putin in the election, which is marked by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The president presents himself as a champion against the USA's quest for supremacy and against the eastward expansion of NATO. The stylization of the West as the enemy against which Putin is fighting is catching on with many Russians. Other possible candidates are considered to have no chance. In the 2018 vote, Putin received 76.69% of the votes.

Opponents lack signatures

Liberal opposition politician Grigory Yavlinsky, who is calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and peace negotiations, has declared his willingness to take part in the election again. However, the 71-year-old stated that he would need to collect at least ten million signatures. With around 20,000 signatures at present, he is a long way from achieving this. In the 2018 election, he received 1.05% of the vote.

The Kremlin traditionally tries to organize a field of candidates for the presidency before the elections in order to create the appearance of a selection and competition for Putin. However, the candidates put forward by various parliamentary parties are generally considered to have no chance at all.