Western nations condemn Russian elections in occupied Ukraine as illegitimate
Western leaders reject Putin's election in occupied areas of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia as illegitimate, decrying the repression of opposition in Russia, lack of genuine competition.
Russian President Vladimir Putin secured his fifth term with 87.97% of the vote in a general election lacking genuine competition, criticized by Western leaders as “illegitimate” and “illegal.”
EU: Russian presidential elections non-applicable on Ukrainian territory
“[T]he European Union strongly condemns the illegal holding of so-called “elections” in the territories of Ukraine that Russia has temporarily occupied: Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, as well as in parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions,” the statement reads.
According to the EU statement, “the so-called ‘elections’ in these territories” are “another manifest violation by Russia of international law” and are “null and void.”
The EU says the Russian presidential elections took place “in a highly restricted environment exacerbated also by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Poland: Russia’s presidential election is not legal, free and fair
In a statement, the Polish government noted that “On 15-17 March 2024, Russia held a so-called presidential election. The voting took place amid harsh repressions against society, preventing it from making a free, democratic choice.”
The government notes that in violation of international law, Russia’s “election” was also conducted in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as in Moldova’s Transnistria and Georgia’s South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
“Such ‘election’ may not be considered legal, free and fair,” the statement reads.
Czechia doesn’t recognize voting in occupied Ukraine
The Czech Foreign Ministry says the Russian elections “were not conducted in a transparent and democratic manner,” and those were held “in a context of systematic suppression of Russian civil society, independent media and any semblance of opposition.”
The MFA stresses that several presidential candidates were prevented from running in the election, while OSCE observers were not allowed to monitor the polling.
Russia recognizes its “elections”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called to congratulate his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on his re-election at the helm of the Kremlin, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said in a Google-translated report.
Read also:
- Ukraine’s MFA urges media not to call Russia’s “farce” as “elections”; over 55 countries condemn vote in occupied areas
- Russia’s imperial pretensions will continue to menace Europe after Putin gone, Latvian FM says
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