MOSCOW – Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has secured his fifth term in the Russian presidential election with nearly 88 percent of the vote.
Reports in international media suggest that voter turnout for Moscosw’s latest polls surpassed the last one, with 74.22pc of people casting their votes, compared to less than 70pc in 2018. Several people were arrested and vandalism was reported at multiple polling stations across Russia.
As Putin got 87.9pc of the votes, rival Nikolay Kharitonov secured a mere 4.7pc votes, and Vladislav Davankov remains at number 3 with 3.6pc votes, and Leonid Slutsky with 2.5pc.
The presidential election 2024 was criticised by the West for unreal competition, as many potential rivals of Putin are either exiled or imprisoned.
With landslide win, Putin will remain in office for another six-years, making him the country’s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin.
As support for Putin remains strong, there are signs of dissent, with some Russians lamenting the death of opposition figure Navalny and expressing discontent through protests.
Putin, whose current net worth is estimated to be around $200 billion, is a former intelligence officer. During his regime, he passed laws that could keep him in office until 2036.
