Steph Deschamps / March 19, 2024
Moscow welcomed Vladimir Putin's landslide victory in the Russian presidential election on Monday, a result presented as proof of national unity behind his assault on Ukraine but forged in the repression of the opposition.
Moscow's partners hailed his re-election in chorus, while the West denounced it as a travesty of democracy.
The Russian president, who has been in power for almost a quarter of a century, won 87.28% of all votes counted in Russia, 10 points more than in 2018.
"This is a record indicator," proclaimed the head of the Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov applauded an "exceptional" result and a "confirmation" of the Russian people's support "for their president".
In the same vein, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said the result proved "the full support of the Russians" for Mr. Putin, while Iranian President Ebrahim Raissi saw it as a "solid victory". The leaders of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Bolivia also welcomed Putin's re-election.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his congratulations and called for the "special" relationship between the two countries to be strengthened.
A concert is due to take place in the evening on Red Square to celebrate Mr. Putin's retention in the Kremlin and the 10th anniversary of the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea in 2014, the starting point of Moscow's military aggression against Kiev that culminated in the assault on February 24, 2022.