NEWSLINE PAPER,- With a huge win, Vladimir Putin was able to clinch his fifth term as president; nonetheless, the election was criticized for not having enough openness or real competition.
Election officials declared Putin the winner with more than 87% of the vote, but the fact that there were no strong contenders to challenge him highlighted how rigged the process was.
Protests like the "Noon against Putin" movement, which were led by supporters of late Putin critic Alexei Navalny, brought attention to dissent but had little effect on the outcome.
At least eighty people were arrested as a result of symbolic protests, however there were not many major polling place disruptions in contrast to other events.
Following, there was international condemnation, with the UK opposing the holding of elections on Ukrainian territory and Germany rejecting the "pseudo-election" under an authoritarian rule.
President Zelensky of Ukraine echoed comments of Western leaders and Navalny's backers by calling the election a charade.
Thanks in part to longer voting times in Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation, the official turnout was over 74%.
Putin's win was presented by state-run media as a huge endorsement, highlighting solidarity and resistance to criticism from the West.
Putin played down worries about openness and objectivity in the election process, pointing to Russia's more developed use of online voting than the US.
Independent watchdog Golos was prohibited from monitoring, but reports of anomalies emerged, including coercion to cast a ballot among public sector workers.
Putin praised the opposition for encouraging voters to cast their ballots, but he denounced those who did the opposite.
In a rare mention of Navalny, he confirmed talks regarding possible prisoner exchange with the West, but he denied any role in Navalny's demise.
In a show of resistance and togetherness, Navalny's widow and supporters waited in line for hours to cast ballots during the protest voting period.
The election demonstrated Putin's power in a tightly regulated political environment in which voters have few options and real opponents have been suppressed or sidelined.
Source: BBC