2024 Russian elections: Russians vote against Putin at noon in massive opposition action

A large number of Russians came today at 12:00 to vote against the Kremlin candidate, Vladimir Putinin a massive demonstration of coordinated rejection by the opposition against the re-election of the president and the war in Ukraine.

“It had been a long time since I voted. Today I voted against Putin, because I ruined the vote. It doesn’t change anything, but I expressed my opinion and saw people who think the same as me. I think the action of everyone who came at the same time was a total success.“, Yulia told EFE at the doors of a Moscow school.

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“Noon without Putin”is an initiative of the liberal political exile Maximo Reznikwho described the elections as “special electoral operation to demonstrate the unity of the Führer and the nation”, and was supported before dying in prison by the opposition leader, Alexey Navalny.

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, attends a meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers in Brussels, Belgium, February 19, 2024. (Photo by YVES HERMAN/POOL/AFP). (YVES HERMAN/)

In an attempt to thwart the opposition’s plans, the Russian Prosecutor’s Office repeated its warning up to three times that appealing or participating in such actions could lead to criminal liability for obstructing the electoral process.

12 hours

This morning, people were going to vote little by little in the Russian capital. Almost all voters who went to the polls were adults or elderly. Only occasionally families with children.

Suddenly, as the clock approached 12, the influx began to skyrocket, which in some cases created queues at school entrances under the nervous gaze of the police.

“It is the only possibility for peaceful demonstration. Fear still plays a very important role in Russian society. I voted for justice”, said Natália, 40 years old.

A protester holds a sign with the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin crossed out during a protest near the Russian embassy in Berlin on March 17, 2024. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ/AFP) (TOBIAS SCHWARZ/)

On social media, dozens of people could be seen waiting to vote in schools, both in Moscowas in other cities in the European part of the Russia is at Siberia.

Similar images can be seen in many other European cities (Istanbul, Berlin, Prague and the Baltic capitals) and, especially, from the post-Soviet space, where hundreds of thousands of Russians who did not want to fight in Ukraine.

Around 2,500 people showed up to vote at noon in Yerevanwhile long queues were also observed in capitals Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstanamong others.

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Russia without Putin

The organizers of the campaign, which had the support of Navalny’s widow Yulia and the tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovskythey gave participants several options, from boycotting the vote to canceling the vote or even voting against Putin.

Some wrote Navalny’s name on the ballot, others marked more than one ballot box so that their vote would not be counted, but others decided to exercise their right to vote.

Exiled former Russian oligarch and now opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky during a protest near the Russian embassy in Berlin on March 17, 2024. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ/AFP) (TOBIAS SCHWARZ/)

“I voted against Putin, I always do. I’m older and I know what the KGB is. I’m very happy. I live up there (pointing to the balcony) and in the first two days almost nobody voted. And today, at 12, a lot of people gathered“, said Marina, 71 years old.

The woman, who lives in northern Moscow, added: “I believe the action worked. I see there are still normal people in Russia”.

“Of course, it’s interesting to come and vote. Why not at 12? I voted for Vladislav Davankov (candidate for New People Party). How can I vote in 2012, the candidates change, but one is always the same. I wanted to vote for someone else“, said Kiril, 33 years old, accompanied by a dog.

Davankov, the youngest of the four candidates at 40, received support from some opponents in exile because he is a liberal businessman with an ambiguous stance on the war.

“I voted for Davankov. I voted for an alternative. I chose the best of the worst. This is the first time I vote. It is an attempt to peacefully influence what is happening in Russia,” said twenty-something Anna, who voted for the first time.

Police impotence

If the police presence was large on the first two days of voting, it was reinforced on Sunday, in anticipation of possible incidents.

The nervousness in some schools was evident and, in fact, in one of them EFE was prohibited from recording against the instructions of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

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“It had been a long time since I voted. I’ve seen a lot more tension. I realized that before there were not so many secret service employees,” said Yanna, 50 years old.

As it was a peaceful action, there were no reports of major arrests by the police, who seemed powerless in the face of the “noon against Putin”.

“How can we remember all your faces so we can smile at you later when we pass each other on the street?“, said an elderly woman as she passed in front of the line that formed at one of the schools.

Source: Elcomercio