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Putin secures another term amid global tensions

2024.04.29 00:00:42 Jeongmin Kim
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[Voting Ballot, Photo credit: pxhere]

March 17, 2024 marked the day, the day that notorious Vladmir Putin won the 2024 Russian presidential election.

 

The Russian presidential election took place from March 15 to 17, 2024. Vladimir Putin won the election with 87.97% of the votes in his favor, according to the first official results that were released on March 17, 2024, after the polls had closed.

 

Dubbed the "modern version of the tsar," Vladimir Putin easily won his fifth term in a virtual and uncontested presidential election, paving the way for his life in power.

 

This election marked Putin's victory for a new six-year term, extending his rule and showcasing his significant control over Russia's political system despite widespread criticism and allegations of electoral fraud.

 

The election was a meaningless competition, with Putin facing little to no credible opposition.

 

This was due in part to stringent restrictions on candidacy, including changes to Russia's electoral laws that made it virtually impossible to conduct any meaningful monitoring and significantly restricted the role of the media.

 

The election also saw allegations of ballot stuffing and coercion, with statistical analysis suggesting unprecedented levels of fraud.

 

Despite these controversies, the official turnout was reported to be 87.97%, and Putin's inevitable victory was secured.

 

One of the reasons for the overwhelming support for Putin is economic stability.

 

Despite the Western sanctions that have continued for more than two years since the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian economy is holding up better than expected.

 

The International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for Russia's GDP growth in 2024 to 2.6 percent in January from 1.1 percent in October of last year.

 

Another reason for his support is the need for a strong leader who can counter the Western curbs led by NATO. Russian people have regarded the West's "East" tactic as the biggest security threat since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

 

Analysts say that Putin's confrontation with the West as a whole reminds many Russians of the status of a powerful country during the Soviet Union.

 

Some analysts say that the latest election has revealed that Russians are actually sympathetic to the cause of special military operations that Putin put forward.

 

Putin has warned the West that the clash between Russia and NATO will be close to World War III. "The direct conflict between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance means that we are on the verge of World War III," Putin said at his campaign headquarters in Gostini Dvor, Moscow, on the 17th (local time).

 

While the West has promised Ukraine support, it is believed that Putin issued a direct warning when Finland and Sweden joined the NATO ranks.

 

With tensions between Russia and NATO rising, and with Trump allegedly securing his second term, the world is in grave danger.

 

Russia and Donald Trump will not fund Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion if he is elected as US president again, a remark stated by Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. "He will not give a penny to the Ukraine-Russia war.”

 

That is why the war will end," the conservative premier said after meeting Mr. Trump in Florida.

 

Using veto power, Russia has also ended UN panels sanctioning and monitoring North Korea. Furthermore, with allegations of Russia trading ballistic missiles with North Korea, we are a step closer to war.


Jeongmin Kim / Grade 9
Chadwick International School