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Russia elections: Protesters arrested on final day of vote set to give Vladimir Putin fifth term - BBC News Russia elections: Protesters arrested on final day of vote set to give Vladimir Putin fifth term - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
It is being reported that the authorities have detained more than 74 people in 17 cities across Russia for protest actions linked to the presidential election. Sergei Goryashko
This latest figure came from the OVD-Info human rights monitoring group, which earlier said more than 50 people had been arrested. BBC News Russian
The BBC has not been able to verify this information, and it is not clear on what basis any arrests have been made and whether or not they directly relate to the "noon against Putin" protests. Many believe it’s a foregone conclusion that the incumbent Vladimir Putin will claim victory and become president for the fifth time.
So why
is the Kremlin going to the trouble of staging the election?
Show of support
Elections in Russia are rarely nail-biting events,
but they are important to legitimise those in power and to show that the
opinion of the people matters.
This time it is especially important for Vladimir
Putin not only to win, but also to see a high turnout at polling stations and a
high proportion of support, as the country is involved in a full-scale war
which will have lasting consequences both for Russia and for the wider world.
The war and the election
Putin has appeared at many events during his
campaign, avoiding talking about the “special
military operation” - Moscow’s term for the invasion of Ukraine.
Even when left out of the campaign, the war is a
key component of media narratives and Russians cannot avoid it.
High turnout and high support for the president
will add legitimacy to his subsequent decisions, many of which will be directly
linked to the invasion.
What is likely to change?
There are no independent opinion polls in Russia
and most Russians get their news from state media, which is heavily biased in
favour of Vladimir Putin and his policies.
Yet experts believe that more Russians are
sceptical about the government than it may appear, but they are too afraid to
speak out.
The most likely outcome of this election is a
convincing victory for Putin, at least on paper.
But a low turnout
will mean that support for the president has weakened and this in turn may
bring even tighter state controls and further slide Russia into an atmosphere
of fear and oppression.
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