No surprises in the parliamentary elections in Russia.
After months of systematically eliminating the free press and criminalizing the real opposition, the regime party “United Russia” won the elections on Monday. She obtained about 80 percent of the direct mandates and 50 percent of the second votes, which means that she will be able to decide on the constitution in the country alone with over 66 percent of the Duma seats.
Although Putin is neither a member of “United Russia” and was not a candidate for election, his party’s supporters frenetically celebrated him after the polling stations closed with chants of “Putin, Putin” and shouts of “victory” – although the votes had not yet been counted …
But the voting process itself was just as undemocratic as the run-up to the election. Videos from polling stations across the country show how election fraud is alleged to have taken place in favor of the regime. Either by “strangers” in front of the election workers – or by employees of the polling stations themselves.
BILD compiles some of the most audacious election fraud cases.
► In one video, a man with a baseball cap and black clothing comes out of a voting booth and approaches the ballot box. Everything looks normal until the man apparently has problems putting the election papers in the ballot box. The reason: He has a whole heap of completed voting slips with him that can hardly be inserted through the slot in the plastic box.
► But the fraud is by no means taking place “secretly”. Another video shows how another man – again with a baseball cap and dark clothes – signs the election worker and then receives a pile of ballot papers before they are officially sent to the voting booth with the papers.
► But not only “foreign voters” cheat in the election. Russia’s election officials themselves also do a lot of manipulation. Another video shows how an election worker positions herself – rather clumsily – between the camera and the ballot box, while one hand behind her is always putting new ballot papers into the ballot box. As if by magic if the completed ballot papers go out of nowhere into the ballot box, they sabotage the result of the election. Another election worker stands between the urn and the exit and opens a door so that one does not see the fraud too clearly.
► A video from Saint Petersburg shows how senseless even members of Putin’s election commission consider the entire process. As the polling stations close – some poll workers embrace each other apparently relieved that the farce is over – two officials open the ballot box and deliberately hand out all the ballot papers on the floor. Other officials want to prevent them and there is a scuffle among the election employees …
Not even Putin’s vote itself was real!
► Russia’s rulers officially “voted” on Friday. Online and in the Kremlin, as he is currently isolated due to corona infections in his environment. The state radio broadcast the election. Putin comes into his office, sits down at his computer, types something in and the camera pans to his screen. “Thank you, your vote counts,” it says there. But the internet address of the page can also be seen in the browser. Lo and behold: It’s a joke page. Regardless of who clicks on it, the text “Thank you, your vote counts” is displayed. Hours after the propaganda failure of the Kremlin media, the site went offline and has not been accessible since.
For Renata Alt, spokeswoman for Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe of the FDP in the Bundestag, the videos are further evidence of “massive election manipulation and falsification” during the vote in the largest country in the world.
“The claims by observers close to the Kremlin that the elections were democratic and transparent can hardly be believed,” she told BILD. “Numerous reports of multiple votes, the throwing of entire packages of ballot papers and nightly attempts to exchange ballot papers raise considerable doubts about the legitimacy of the election result.”
The Russia expert also criticized the undemocratic environment in which the elections took place. Alt explained: “Attempts to intimidate those groups of voters who fear for their jobs, such as soldiers, employees of state-affiliated companies or the administration, are part of the traditional repertoire of dictatorships. The fact is: this election was not an expression of the free will of the electorate. “