Russia 2024 elections LIVE, last minute voting, Putin results and more

Russia votes to elect the president in an election in which it is taken for granted that the president Vladimir Putin will win re-election. The country tried to appear normal this Saturday, on the second day of the elections, in which more than half of the voters called to the polls have already voted, despite new attempts by Ukraine to destabilize the situation on the border. The Central Election Commission (CEC) guaranteed that the elections will take place with absolute normality in Russia’s eleven time zones, from the Far East to the Baltic coast.

If on the first day more than a third of the electorate voted, on the second Participation exceeded 50% of the 112 million voters.

LOOK: How Russia produces three times more artillery shells than the United States and Europe for Ukraine

In the absence of Western observers, who were not invited by Moscow, the impression of analysts is that the Kremlin is in a hurry to guarantee a participation that legitimizes the more than possible re-election of the Kremlin candidate, Vladimir Putin.

The director of the Center for the Study of Public Opinion, Valery Fedorov, admitted to the TASS agency that I didn’t expect such a high turnout.although he highlighted that the majority of voters were adults, as young people barely went to school.

The numbers worry independent observers and the opposition in exile, who denounced the massive use of administrative resources, forcing many employees in the public sector, the electoral granary of the put on.

What is more, More than six million Russians – including Putin – exercised their right to vote electronicallyan instrument of fraud, according to the opposition.

Putin’s longevity in power. (AFP).

Ukrainian factor

After that put on accused Kiev the day before of trying to thwart his re-election, Russia repelled two more border incursions by the Ukrainian army on Saturday, which also caused a drone attack fire in an oil refinery Rosneft In the region of Samara.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, units of Ukrainian saboteurs attempted to enter the region Belgorodthe hardest hit since the beginning of the war, since the Ukrainian zone of Sumi.

As a result, the military note adds on Telegram, The enemy army reportedly lost up to 30 men, three tanks and two Vampire and Grad missile launchers.

Furthermore, at least two people died on Saturday in Belgorod in a new Ukrainian artillery attack, according to the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkovto which we must add the three deaths registered on Friday.

There have also been “unprecedented” cyber attacks – 178,000, according to the CEC – carried out by hackers since UkraineWestern Europe and North America, according to cybersecurity firm Solar.

Ukrainian military intelligence cyber experts (gur) hacked the computer system of public services Russiawhere electronic voting takes place, according to the Ukrinform agency.

Sunday protest vote

While, The opposition to the Kremlin maintains its call “Noon without Putin”, which consists of going to the door of the polling stations at 12 noon on Sunday to show your rejection to the head of the Kremlinan action that was supported before he died by the leader of the opposition Alexey Navalny and now to his widow, Julia.

In an attempt to thwart his plans, The Russian Prosecutor’s Office repeated today for the third time its warning that appealing or participating in these actions could lead to prison sentences for obstructing the electoral process.

Furthermore, according to the independent press, many Muscovites have received messages on their phones in which, although they accuse them of supporting extremist ideas, they are encouraged to vote. “without queues or provocations”.

However, the opponents and the free press asks not to be afraid of the police, since Waiting several meters from a school door is not grounds for arrestto demonstrate that there are many who oppose the country’s militaristic tendency.

“The best response to their (…) inflated percentages, to the propagandist lies about the consolidation of society and to the support of the entire people for the special military operation will be those living ranks of people who preserve their conscience and their sense of dignity “, assured Vladimir Kara-Murza, opponent serving 25 years in prison, to the digital newspaper Jellyfish.

He highlighted that this action It will be “the biggest anti-war demonstration” since February 2022in addition to being “absolutely legal and safe and, at the same time, organized by the authorities themselves”.

O opposition He also proposes as an alternative to cancel the vote – for which he recommends signing all four boxes or crossing out the ticket to avoid fraud – or voting for the New People’s candidate, Vladislav Davankov, who has an ambiguous position on the war.

Source: Elcomercio