Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 18:05, 15 March 2024

This article documents a current election. Information may change rapidly as the election progresses until official results have been published. Initial news reports may be unreliable, and the last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Please feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

2024 Russian presidential election

← 2018 15–17 March 2024 2030 →
Registered	114,212,734
Turnout	30% (as of 15 March)
Nominee Vladimir Putin Nikolay Kharitonov Party Independent CPRF Alliance ONF   File:Даванков (cropped).jpg Nominee Leonid Slutsky Vladislav Davankov Party LDPR New People Alliance SPPS
Incumbent President Vladimir Putin Independent

A presidential election in Russia is currently being held from 15–17 March 2024. This is the eighth presidential election in the country. If no candidate receives more than half the vote, a second round will take place exactly three weeks later, on 7 April 2024. The winner is scheduled to be inaugurated on 7 May 2024.

In November 2023, former member of the State Duma Boris Nadezhdin became the first person backed by a registered political party to announce his candidacy, running on an anti-war platform. He was followed by incumbent and independent candidate Vladimir Putin in December 2023, who is eligible to seek re-election as a result of 2020 constitutional amendments. Later the same month, Leonid Slutsky of the LDPR, Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party and Vladislav Davankov of New People announced their candidacies.

Other candidates also declared their candidacy but were barred for various reasons. Despite passing the initial stages of the process, on 8 February 2024, Nadezhdin was barred from running. The decision was announced at a special CEC session, citing alleged irregularities in the signatures of voters supporting his candidacy. Nadezhdin's status as the only explicitly anti-war candidate is widely regarded as the real reason for his disqualification, although Vladislav Davankov has also promised "peace and negotiations" with Ukraine. With this and Davankov's relatively youthful age contrasting with the aging 71-year-old Putin, he has been described as "the most likely to become the alternative-to-Putin candidate".

As was the case in the 2018 presidential election, the most prominent opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was barred from running due to a prior criminal conviction seen as politically motivated. Navalny died in jail in suspicious circumstances in February 2024, one month before the election.

Many watchers do not expect the election to be either free or fair. Instead, they expect the process to be dominated by Putin, who has been accused of increasing political repressions ever since launching his full-scale war with Ukraine in 2022.

Eligibility

According to clause 3 of article 81 of the Constitution of Russia, prior to the 2020 constitutional revision, the same person could not hold the position of President of the Russian Federation for more than two consecutive terms, which allowed Vladimir Putin to become president in 2012 for a third term not consecutive with his prior terms. The constitutional reform established a hard limit of two terms overall. However, terms served before the constitutional revision do not count, which gives Vladimir Putin eligibility for two more presidential terms.

According to the new version of the Constitution, presidential candidates must:

• Be at least 35 years old (the requirement has not changed);
• Be a resident in Russia for at least 25 years (previously 10 years);
• Not have foreign citizenship or residence permit in a foreign country, neither at the time of the election nor at any time before (new requirement).

Candidates

The individuals below will appear on the ballot.

Name, age, political party			Experience	Home region	Campaign	Details	Registration date
Vladislav Davankov (40) New People			Deputy Chairman of the State Duma (2021–present) Member of the State Duma (2021–present)	Moscow	(Campaign • Website)	Davankov was nominated by his party in December 2023 during the party's congress. He was also supported by Party of Growth, which announced that it would merge with New People. Davankov submitted documents to participate in the election on 25 December 2023 and 1 January 2024.	5 January 2024
Vladimir Putin (71) Independent			Incumbent President of Russia (2000–2008 and 2012–present) Prime Minister of Russia (1999–2000 and 2008–2012) FSB Director (1998–1999)	Moscow	(Campaign • Website)	During a ceremony to award soldiers in December 2023, Putin announced that he would participate in the election. He is supported by United Russia and A Just Russia – For Truth, among others. Putin submitted documents to participate in the election on 18 December 2023, which were registered on 20 December. The CEC analyzed 60,000 signatures out of the 315,000 submitted by Putin, and found that only 91 (0.15%) were invalid, which is significantly below the 5% threshold.	29 January 2024
Leonid Slutsky (56) Liberal Democratic Party			Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (2022–present) Member of the State Duma (1999–present)	Moscow	(Campaign • Website)	Slutsky was nominated by his party in December 2023 during the party's congress. He submitted documents to the CEC on 25 December 2023 and 1 January 2024.	5 January 2024
Nikolay Kharitonov (75) Communist Party			Member of the State Duma (1993–present)	Krasnodar Krai	(Campaign)	Kharitonov was nominated by his party in December 2023 during the party's congress. He previously ran in the 2004 presidential election and came second with 13.7% of the vote. Kharitonov submitted documents to participate in the election on 27 December 2023 and 3 January 2024.	9 January 2024

Rejected candidates

Individuals in this section have had their document submissions accepted by the CEC to register their participation, and later gathered the necessary signatures from voters. The deadline to submit documents was 27 December 2023 for independents and 1 January 2024 for party-based nominations, with the commission already announcing the rejection of some candidates based on alleged issues with their paperwork.

Towards the deadline to submit documents, the CEC stated that 33 potential candidates were intending to be registered as candidates (24 independents and 9 party-based nominations). The commission accepted the documents of 15 candidates.

The next step was to collect signatures by 31 January 2024. Independents had to gather 300,000 signatures from the public in at least 40 of Russia's regions to support their participation and thereby be included on the ballot, while potential candidates nominated by political parties that are not represented in the State Duma or in at least a third of the country's regional parliaments had to gather 100,000 signatures.

Vladimir Putin was the first to achieve this, having gathered more than half a million signatures by 30 December; by 17 January he had gathered 2.5 million signatures. He was followed by Davankov, Kharitonov, Slutsky, Nadezhdin and Malinkovich (in no particular order). Others either failed to achieve this or withdrew from the process.

The CEC accepted the signatures of Putin, while rejecting Nadezhdin and Malinkovich on the basis of what it described to be irregularities. Davankov, Kharitonov and Slutsky were not required to collect signatures as they were nominated by political parties represented in the State Duma. This confimed the final number of candidates at four.

Rejected candidates

Potential candidate's name, age, political party			Experience	Home region	Campaign	Details	Signatures collected
Sergey Malinkovich (48) Communists of Russia	File:Только Малинкович.jpg		Member of the Altai Krai Legislative Assembly (2021–present) Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communists of Russia (2022–present)	Altai Krai	(Campaign)	On 28 December 2023, Malinkovich was nominated as the candidate for his party. He submitted documents to register with the CEC on 1 January 2024. On 2 February, the CEC informed Malinkovich that it had found deficiencies in the signatures he had submitted.	Signatures collected104,998 / 105,000Signatures accepted96,019 / 105,000
Boris Nadezhdin (60) Civic Initiative			Member of the Dolgoprudny City Council (1990–1997, 2019–present) Founder and President of the Institute of Regional Projects and Legislation Foundation (2001–present) Member of the State Duma (1999–2003)	Moscow Oblast	(Campaign • Website)	On 31 October 2023, Nadezhdin announced that he would run from the Civic Initiative party. On 26 December he submitted registration documents to the CEC, which were registered on 28 December. On 8 February 2024, the CEC announced that more than 5% of the signatures it had reviewed were invalid and therefore could not register him as a candidate. Nadezhdin subsequently appealed the decision at Russia's Supreme Court.	Signatures collected105,000 / 105,000 Signatures accepted95,587 / 105,000 Supreme Court appeals Case 1 Initial case submitted on February 16, 2024, and rejected on February 21 Appeal submitted on February 26, and rejected on March 4. Cases 2 & 3 Initial cases submitted on February 12, 2024, and rejected on February 15 Appeals submitted on February 19, and rejected on February 26

Party congresses and primaries

Congresses of political parties are held after the official appointment of election. At the congress, a party can either nominate its own candidate, or support a candidate nominated by another party or an independent candidate. Twelve parties held party congresses in December 2023, at which candidates were either nominated or endorsed.

Other parties

At Yabloko's congress, which took place on 9 December 2023, somewhat unconventionally, the party decided that Grigory Yavlinsky would run for president as its nominee if he obtains 10 million signatures from potential voters, which is higher than the total number of votes Yavlinsky obtained during his most successful run for president (5.55 million). Yabloko later stated that it would not be nominating any candidate. Furthermore, Yavlinsky only managed to gather around a million signatures.

The Left Front stated that it would run a primary election between 22 candidates, but later announced it would not be holding the primary due to threats received from the police. Instead, the party called on their "comrades in the Communist Party" to vote for one of the following to be nominated at the party congress: Pavel Grudinin, Nikolai Bondarenko, Valentin Konovalov, Andrey Klychkov, Sergey Levchenko, Nina Ostanina, Igor Girkin.

Preparation of public opinion

According to an investigation published in February 2024 by a coalition of journals including VSquare, Delfi, Expressen and Paper Trail Media, Putin ordered Decree Number 2016, titled "On deputy heads responsible for social and political work of federal government agencies", on 17 February 2023. The decree stated its aim of coordination between the Ministry of Education and Science and other state agencies to "increase the number of voters and the support of the main candidates" in the 2024 presidential election and other elections. Documents from a governmental "non-profit organisation", ANO Integration, highlighted the reference to increasing the number of voters and the support of the main candidates.

The ANO Integration documents presented a plan to create lists of all employees and sub-lists of opinion leaders in institutions within the ministry's responsibility, and to monitor political attitudes and voting preferences and "increas level of socio-political literacy". The documents planned for the preparation of secret instructions for social events in which selected opinion leaders and "experts" would meet with students and teachers in preparation for the election. Martin Kragh [sv] of the Center for East European Studies in Stockholm described the documents by stating, "All these documents show how little the Kremlin believes that people might just spontaneously support the ruling party". Mark Galeotti, a British historian, lecturer and writer, described the process as "pre-rigging" the election in order to minimise the amount of manipulation needed in the numbers of votes cast for Putin in the election. He stated, "The Kremlin cannot even trust what mayors and governors tell them about the situation in their region."

When asked by a BBC journalist about his electoral campaign, Nikolay Kharitonov refused to answer why he thought he would be a better candidate than Putin, before proceeding to praise the latter for "trying to solve a lot of the problems of the 1990s" and consolidating the country for "victory in all areas." Shortly after filing his candidacy in December 2023, Leonid Slutsky said he did not "dream of beating Putin" and predicted that the latter would achieve "a huge victory".

Conduct

Early voting opened on 26 February and lasted until 14 March to allow certain residents in remote areas in 37 regions of Russia as well as in the regions of Ukraine that it annexed following its invasion in 2022 to vote. In the latter areas, a campaign called InformUIK was set up to encourage participation in the election, with its representatives going door-to-door escorted by armed men to compile voter lists and collect ballots from residences. A resident of Kherson Oblast described the elections in his area as a "comedy show", noting that households were being visited by "two locals - one holding a list of voters and the other a ballot box - and a military man with a machine gun". Reports also emerged of Russian-installed authorities coercing people to vote by withholding social benefits and healthcare treatment, while human rights activists said at least 274 Ukrainians were arrested for refusing to vote in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts.

Civil servants, employees at state-run companies and students have been strictly ordered to vote. Videos calling on Russians to vote presented them with an image of what awaits the country if they do not participate. In methods that analysts warn will be used to inflate the turnout and facilitate tampering, Russians in 29 regions are being urged to vote electronically, while the election will be spread over three days. In many regions the vote doubles as a lottery, with prizes ranging from public transport credits and café vouchers to smart speakers, cars and even apartments. In Omsk, officials issued 50,000 free tickets at polling stations to first-time voters aged between 18 and 24 years of age for one Ferris wheel ride at an amusement park. In Altai Krai, voters were to be given a chance to win sanctioned goods and appliances such as an iPhone in a raffle, provided that they upload pictures on VKontakte showing them at polling stations. In Strezhevoy, Tomsk Oblast, the mayor promised free bread rolls and porridge to voters. In Sverdlovsk Oblast, authorities set up an election day trivia quiz about the region's history with and offered 2,000 smartphones, 45 apartments, 20 motorcycles, and 100 Moskvich cars as prizes, but said that correct answers would not guarantee a win. In Tatarstan, officials set a music festival in Kazan on 17 March that would be open to visitors upon presentation of a bracelet obtained at polling stations that would also guarantee free and unlimited access to public transportation, along with a chance to win in a raffle with three Lada Vesta cars at stake.

Reports also emerged of pressure being exerted by authorities on students and young people to vote. Students at a construction college in Perm Krai were ordered to vote inside the campus, with the school administration pledging to monitor turnout using video surveillance cameras. At Tula State Pedagogical University, students were required to submit a photo of their ballot to prove that they voted. Its rector had also publicly endorsed Putin. At Voronezh State Pedagogical University, students said they were required to inform authorities about who they were voting for.

On the eve of the first round of regular voting on 14 March, Putin called on citizens to vote in order to show their unity behind his leadership, saying in a video message that "We have already shown that we can be together, defending the freedom, sovereignty and security of Russia," and urged them "not to stray from this path".

On the regular election days, polls opened at 08:00 local time in Kamchatka Krai on 15 March and are expected to close at 20:00 local time in Kaliningrad Oblast on 17 March. Independent watchdogs were prevented from observing the conduct of the election, as only registered candidates and state-backed advisory bodies were allowed to send observers to polling stations. The independent election monitor Golos described the election as the "most vapid" since the 2000 election, noting that campaigning was “practically unnoticeable” and that authorities were “doing everything" to prevent from people noticing that an election was taking place while state media provided less airtime to the election compared to 2018. It also described Putin's campaign as disguised by his activities as president, while his registered opponents were "demonstrably passive".

Opinion polls

After nominations of potential candidates

Fieldwork date	Polling firm						Others	Undecided	Abstention
		Putin	Nadezhdin	Kharitonov	Slutsky	Davankov
2–3 Mar 2024	VCIOM	60%	Rejected	3%	2%	5%	2%	17%	11%
1 Mar 2024	Funeral of Alexei Navalny takes place in Moscow
10–18 Feb 2024	CIPKR	62%	6%	3%	4%	7%	5%	13%
16 Feb 2024	Alexei Navalny dies while serving a 19-year prison sentence
15 Feb 2024	VCIOM	61%	Rejected	3%	2%	3%	2%	17%	13%
14 Feb 2024	VCIOM	64%		4%	3%	5%	2%	2%	2%
9–11 Feb 2024	FOM	74%		3%	3%	2%	1%	10%	5%
8 Feb 2024	VCIOM	57%		3%	3%	4%	2%	18%	14%
8 Feb 2024	Central Election Commission bars Nadezhdin from participating in the elections
1–7 Feb 2024	ExtremeScan	63%	6%	—	—	—	8%	12%	11%
27–30 Jan 2024	Russian Field	62.2%	7.8%	2.3%	1.9%	1.0%	2.5%	7.8%	12.8%
25–30 Jan 2024	ExtremeScan	61%	6%	2%	1%	—	2%	17%	11%
11–28 Jan 2024	CIPKR	60%	7%	4%	3%	0.3%	3%	7%	15%

Before the start of nominations of potential candidates

Fieldwork date	Polling firm																			Others	Undecided	Abstention
		Putin	Grudinin	Zyuganov	Zhirinovsky	Slutsky	Navalny	Shoigu	Lavrov	Medvedev	Sobyanin	Dyumin	Volodin	Mishustin	Furgal	Platoshkin	Bondarenko	Mironov	Prigozhin
Dec 2023	VCIOM	42.7%	1.6%	3.8%	Deceased	—	1.2%	8.7%	14.3%	—	—	—	2.9%	18.8%	—	0.7%	0.8%	1.8%	Deceased	1.2%	37.2%
Nov 2023	VCIOM	37.3%	1.4%	3.0%		—	1.3%	8%	15.4%	—	—	—	2.7%	16.6%	—	0.8%	0.8%	1.7%		1.3%	42%
23–29 Nov 2023	Levada Center	58.0%	0.5%	1.3%		0.5%	—	—	0.3%	0.2%	0.3%	—	—	0.5%	—	—	0.2%	0.4%		0.8%	31.9%	4.8%
Oct 2023	VCIOM	37.3%	1.7%	3.0%		—	1.4%	7.2%	15.3%	—	—	—	3.1%	15.6%	—	0.7%	0.9%	1.6%		1.7%	42.2%
Sep 2023	VCIOM	36%	1.4%	3.6%		—	1.8%	7.3%	14.7%	—	—	—	2.7%	15.3%	—	0.7%	0.9%	1.7%		1.8%	42.9%
2–10 Sep 2023	Russian Field	29.9%	1.3%	0.6%		—	1.7%	0.5%	0.6%	—	0.6%	—	—	1.1%	—	0.6%	—	—		23.6%	32.2%	6.4%
Aug 2023	VCIOM	35.5%	1.5%	3.4%		—	1.7%	7.1%	12.6%	—	—	—	3.2%	15.4%	—	0.7%	0.7%	1.7%		1.7%	43.9%
23 Aug 2023	Wagner Group plane crash including leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a crash
1–9 Aug 2023	CIPKR	60%	4%	2%	Deceased		4%	2%	—	1%	—	—		3%	—	—	—		—	11%	7%	3%
Jul 2023	VCIOM	37.1%	1.3%	3.2%		—	1.5%	6.9%	13.9%	—	—	—	3.0%	16.8%	—	0.8%	0.8%	1.7%	—	2.0%	42.1%
20–26 Jul 2023	Levada Center	44%	—	3%			1%	7%	13%	3%	4%	—		18%	—	—	—		—	7%	19%	5.9%
Jun 2023	VCIOM	37.1%	1.4%	3.4%		—	1.7%	8.9%	14.1%				3.4%	15.5%	—	0.8%	0.5%	1.7%		1.9%	41.4%
22–28 Jun 2023	Levada Center	42%	—	4%			—	8%	14%	4%	4%	—		18%	—	—	—		2%	5%
23–24 Jun 2023	Wagner Group rebellion
May 2023	VCIOM	37.1%	1.2%	3.9%	Deceased	—	1.3%	10.0%	14.7%				3.2%	15.5%		0.7%	0.8%	2.0%		1.7%	41.2%
13–16 May 2023	Russian Field	30.2%	1.1%	—			2.8%	0.4%	0.5%	0.3%	0.8%	—		0.4%	1.1%	0.5%	0.4%		3%	26.4%	28.8%	5.9%
Apr 2023	VCIOM	38.7%	1.4%	3.6%		—	1.2%	12.1%	17.6%				2.8%	16.5%		0.9%	0.8%	2.3%		1.7%	39.3%
Mar 2023	VCIOM	38.7%	1.3%	3.7%		—	1.6%	11.5%	16.3%				3.2%	17.4%		0.8%	0.8%	2.2%		2.2%	39.6%
Feb 2023	VCIOM	37.5%	1.4%	4.4%		—	1.8%	11.2%	16.3%				3.2%	14.3%		0.9%	0.8%	2.6%		2.0%	39.8%
21–28 Feb 2023	Levada Center	43%	1%	5%			1%	12%	15%	3%	3%	—		17%	1%	—	—		—	6%	17%	16%
Jan 2023	VCIOM	37.1%	1.5%	3.2%		—	1.9%	13.4%	15.2%				4.1%	14.9%		1.0%	0.9%	1.8%		2.4%	40.1%
24–30 Nov 2022	Levada Center	39%	—	5%			1%	12%	14%	3%	3%	—		17%	—	—	1%		—	5%	7%	18%
30 Sep 2022	Russia annexes part of southeastern Ukraine
21–27 Jul 2022	Levada Center	43%	—	4%	Deceased		1%	14%	14%	3%	4%	—		16%	—	—	1%		—	5%	16%	16%
6 Apr 2022	Liberal Democratic Party of Russia leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky dies
24 Feb 2022	Beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
21 Feb 2022	Russia announces international recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic
10–28 Dec 2021	CIPKR	—	3%	—	0%		5%	18%	—	2%	1%	1%		15%	—	—	—		—	24%	31%
25 Nov–1 Dec 2021	Levada Center	32%	1%	2%	3%		1%	1%	—	—	—	—		1%	—	—	1%		—	3%	21%	27%
22–28 Apr 2021	Levada Center	40%	1%	2%	4%		2%	—	—	—	—	—		1%	1%	1%	1%		—	3%	18%	23%
17 Jan 2021	Arrest of Alexei Navalny
Dec 2020	CIPKR	—	5%	—	1%		2%	18%	—	4%	2%	0%		8%	—	—	—		–	33%	27%
19–26 Nov 2020	Levada Center	39%	1%	2%	6%		2%	1%	—	—	—	—		1%	—	1%	—		—	2%	16%	24%
20–26 Aug 2020	Levada Center	40%	1%	1%	4%		2%	1%	—	—	—	—		1%	1%	1%	—		—	2%	26%	22%
09 Jul 2020	Arrest of Sergei Furgal
18–23 Dec 2019	CIPKR	—	9%	—	4%		—	24%	—	11%	5%	1%		—	—	—	—		–	26%	20%
12–18 Dec 2019	Levada Center	38%	3%	2%	4%		2%	1%	—	1%	—	—		—	—	—	—		–	2%	26%	22%
18–24 Jul 2019	Levada Center	40%	3%	1%	3%		1%	—	—	<1%	—	—		—	—	—	—		–	2%	31%	19%
21–27 Mar 2019	Levada Center	41%	4%	2%	5%		1%	1%	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—		–	3%	26%	19%
18–24 Oct 2018	Levada Center	40%	3%	2%	4%		1%	<1%	<1%	—	—	—		—	—	—	—		–	2%	27%	23%

Results

Reactions

Domestic

On 6 August 2023, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The New York Times that "our presidential election is not really democracy, it is costly bureaucracy. Mr. Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90 percent of the vote". Later he clarified that this was his personal opinion. In an interview with the RBK news agency, Peskov said that Russia "theoretically" does not need to hold presidential elections because "it’s obvious that Putin will be reelected."

On 6 November 2023, journalist Yekaterina Duntsova announced her intention to run for the presidency in the 2024 election; she said she would run as an independent candidate on an anti-war platform. The next month, her nomination documents were rejected by the Central Election Commission.

In November 2023, nationalist ex-militia commander Igor Girkin announced his intention to run as a candidate in the 2024 elections, describing elections in Russia as a "sham" in which "the only winner is known in advance".

In January 2024, citing unidentified sources in the Kremlin, the independent news outlet Vyorstka reported that the CEC, at the behest of the Kremlin, will likely reject Boris Nadezhdin’s registration due to his criticism of Putin and anti-war stances. In late January 2024, a source in the Putin administration told the Latvia-based news outlet Meduza: "There’s a portion of the electorate that wants the war to end. If decides to cater to this demand, they may get a decent percentage. And doesn’t need that." Russian state media intensified a smear campaign against Nadezhdin in the weeks leading up to the election. On 30 January 2024, Kremlin propagandist and television presenter Vladimir Solovyov warned Nadezhdin: "I feel bad for Boris. The fool didn’t realize that he’s not being set up to run for president but for a criminal case on charges of betraying the Motherland."

Following the CEC's decision to ban him from running, Nadezhdin wrote in his Telegram channel: "I do not agree with the decision of the CEC… Participating in the presidential election in 2024 is the most important political decision in my life. I am not backing down from my intentions."

On 1 February 2024, jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and his allies called on supporters to protest Putin and the invasion of Ukraine during the third day of the presidential election by all going to vote against Putin at the same time. After the death of Navalny, there were calls from Andrius Kubilius, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Yulia Navalnaya for the EU to recognize the Russian elections as illegitimate. Navalnaya called for Russians critical of Putin to joint the "Noon Against Putin" initiative to form long queues at polling stations at noon on 17 March before proceeding to vote for anyone other than Putin, spoil their ballots or cast Navalny's name.

In response to planned protests, authorities in Moscow have threatened to prosecute would-be participants.

International

In an interview with TV3 on 4 March 2024, Latvian justice minister Inese Lībiņa-Egnere implied that Russians in the country who would participate in the election to be held in the Russian embassy in Riga could face criminal liability for justifying the invasion of Ukraine under Latvian law. On 14 March, Lībiņa-Egnere appeared to have reversed her stance, stating that participation in the elections "does not equate to supporting Putin" and is "not punishable in any way"; she added that Latvia "does not want to provoke an international row and intends to act like a democratic state". On 11 March, Armands Ruks, the head of the Latvian State Police announced that voters at the embassy would be subjected to police screenings before entering.

The Russian ambassador to Moldova, Oleg Vasnetsov [ru], was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova on 12 March following Russia's decision to open six polling stations in occupied Transnistria for Russia's presidential election, which Moldovan foreign minister Mihai Popșoi described as "unacceptable". The Moldovan government had previously agreed to open only one polling station in the Russian embassy [ro; ru] in Chișinău as per international law as it claimed.

The United States condemned voting in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine and said that it would "never recognize the legitimacy or outcome of these sham elections held in sovereign Ukraine." The Ukrainian foreign ministry called on international media and public figures "to refrain from referring to this farce as 'elections' in the language of democratic states."

On the first day of regular voting on 15 March, European Council president Charles Michel sarcastically congratulated Putin for winning a "landslide victory" in the elections starting that day, adding that there was "No opposition. No freedom. No choice.”

Incidents

On the first day of early voting in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine on 27 February 2024, two bombs were detonated at the local offices of the United Russia party and near a polling station in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast. On 6 March, an official of the Central Election Commission in the Russian-occupied city of Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, was killed by a car bomb, according to Ukrainian officials. When asked about the incident, the Ukrainian appointed governor of the oblast, Ivan Fedorov, attributed the attack to "our resistance", adding that they were linked to Ukrainian secret services and that "it is abnormal when our citizens collaborate with Russians". On 15 March, an improvised explosive device was detonated inside a rubbish bin in front of a polling station in Skadovsk, Kherson Oblast.

During the 2024 Western Russia incursion on 12 March, the Sibir Battalion, an armed Russian opposition group based in Ukraine, published a video condemning the elections, saying that "Ballots and polling stations in this case are fiction.“ A member of the Freedom of Russia Legion, which also participated in the attacks, acknowledged that they were "timed with the so-called elections" and referred to it as a "voting method." Putin also described the incursion as an attempt to "disrupt" the election and "interfere with the normal process of expressing the will of citizens."

During regular polling, several election-related incidents were reported across the country, resulting in at least eight arrests, five of which were for pouring liquid substances on ballot boxes, while a woman in Saint Petersburg was arrested for throwing a molotov cocktail at a school hosting two polling stations after having allegedly been promised a financial incentive by a "Ukrainian Telegram channel". A voting booth was also set on fire in Moscow.

Notes

1. ^ Early voting had taken place from 26 February in several remote regions of the Russian Far East as well as occupied territories of Ukraine.
2. The case deals with CEC's refusal to register Nadezhdin as a candidate for the election and seeks his direct reinstating.
3. The two cases are concerned on CEC's apparent procedural faults while checking the selected signatures. If both cases are upholded, Nadezhdin will have enough valid signatures to be reinstated as a candidate.
4. Supported by the People's Front, United Russia, A Just Russia – For Truth, Rodina, Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice, Party of Business, Russian All-People's Union and Democratic Party of Russia

References

1. "Russian presidential election set for March 15-17, 2024". Meduza. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
2. "Совет Федерации назначил выборы президента РФ на 17 марта". Interfax.ru (in Russian). 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
3. "In Photos: Residents of Remote Areas Start Voting in Russia's Presidential Election". 29 February 2024.
4. "Федеральный закон от 10.01.2003 N 19-ФЗ (ред. от 05.12.2017) "О выборах Президента Российской Федерации" Статья 77. Повторное голосование на выборах Президента Российской Федерации". КонсультантПлюс. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
5. "Федеральный закон от 10.01.2003 N 19-ФЗ (ред. от 05.12.2017) "О выборах Президента Российской Федерации" Статья 82. Вступление в должность Президента Российской Федерации".
6. Документы в ЦИК представили шесть самовыдвиженцев и девять кандидатов от партий. Новости. Первый канал (in Russian), retrieved 2023-12-29
7. "VK.com | VK". vk.com. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
8. "Выборы не за горами". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
9. "Песков: в Кремле пока не готовятся к выборам президента". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
10. "Russia's Putin says he will run for president again in 2024 - TASS". Reuters. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
11. Tenisheva, Anastasia (8 February 2024). "Russian Election Authority Rejects Pro-Peace Hopeful Nadezhdin's Presidential Bid". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
12. "Presidential candidate Davankov's manifesto calls for 'peace and negotiations'". Novaya Gazeta Europe. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
13. "Russian Elections Have a Purpose, But Not Evicting the Regime". Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). 14 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
14. "Russia's Managed Democracy Is Facing a Participation Crisis". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
15. "Putin consolidates power before election with Navalny's death and barred opponents". Semafor. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
16. "Alexei Navalny, Russia's most vociferous Putin critic". BBC News. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
17. "Russian authorities raid opposition leader Navalny's offices". AP NEWS. 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
18. "Who was Alexei Navalny and what did he say of Russia, Putin and death?". Reuters. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
19. "Alexey Navalny timeline: From poisoning to prison to death". AlJazeera. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
20. Troianovski, Anton (2021-02-02). "Russian Activist Navalny Sentenced to More Than 2 Years in Prison". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
21. Gershkovich, Evan (2019-08-27). "What Appeared to Be a United Opposition During Moscow's Vote Protests Is Fraying — Again". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
22. "Russian authorities raid opposition leader Navalny's offices". AP NEWS. 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
23. ^ "Alexei Navalny is the latest Putin critic to die in suspicious circumstances". NPR. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
24. "US weighs response to Navalny's reported death". ABC News. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
25. "What we know about Alexei Navalny's death in Arctic Circle prison". BBC News. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
26. "'They killed him': Was Putin's critic Navalny murdered?". AlJazeera. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
27. "Kremlin foe Navalny can run for president 'after 2028'". France24. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
28. Bennetts, Marc (26 December 2017). "Russia rejects concerns over banning of Alexei Navalny from elections". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
29. "УФСИН по ЯНАО: Алексей Навальный умер в колонии". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
30. "Russian Elections Chief Says Navalny Cannot Run Until 2028". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
31. MacFarquhar, Neil; Nechepurenko, Ivan (8 February 2017). "Aleksei Navalny, Viable Putin Rival, Is Barred From a Presidential Run". New York Times. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
32. "Навального изолируют до сентября 2032-го / Политика / Независимая газета". www.ng.ru. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
33. "Navalny Sentenced to 9 More Years in Prison". The Moscow Times. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
34. Gomozova, Tatiana; Osborn, Andrew; Osborn, Andrew (2023-08-05). "Putin critic Alexei Navalny has 19 years added to jail term, West condemns Russia". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
35. 3 things to watch for in Russia’s presidential election – other than Putin’s win, that is
36. "Constitution of Russia. Chapter 4. The President of the Russian Federation. Article 81". Constitution.ru. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
37. "Статья 81 Конституция Российской Федерации (принята на всенародном голосовании 12 декабря 1993 г.) (с поправками) | ГАРАНТ". base.garant.ru. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
38. "Знать четырех". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
39. "Что известно о Владиславе Даванкове" [What is known about Vladislav Davankov]. TACC. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
40. Колесник, Вероника (2023-12-25). "Даванков подал документы в ЦИК для участия в выборах президента от "Новых людей"". Известия (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-25.
41. "ЦИК зарегистрировал группу избирателей в поддержку Путина". РИА Новости (in Russian). 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
42. "Путин подал документы для участия в выборах президента". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
43. "ЦИК зарегистрировал Путина кандидатом на выборы президента России". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
44. ^ "ЛДПР выдвинула Слуцкого кандидатом в президенты России". Ведомости (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-19.
45. "Слуцкий подал документы в ЦИК для участия в выборах президента". TACC. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
46. Документы в ЦИК представили шесть самовыдвиженцев и девять кандидатов от партий [Six self-nominated candidates and nine party candidates submitted documents to the CEC] (in Russian), Channel One Russia, retrieved 2023-12-29
47. "Правила регистрации кандидатов-самовыдвиженцев на выборах президента РФ". TACC. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
48. "В РФ собрали более 500 тыс. подписей в поддержку самовыдвижения Путина на выборах". TACC. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
49. "Штаб Путина собрал более 2,5 млн подписей в поддержку его выдвижения". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
50. "Лидер партии "Коммунисты России", депутат Алтайского краевого законодательного собрания Сергей Малинкович подал..." Лента новостей Житомира (in Russian). 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
51. "Три кандидата собрали подписи для участия в президентских выборах". Ведомости (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-01-27.
52. ^ "ЦИК не зарегистрировал Бориса Надеждина кандидатом в президенты". Kommersant (in Russian). 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
53. "В РФ появился первый кандидат на пост президента". ura.news (in Russian). 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
54. "Надеждин подал документы в ЦИК для участия в выборах президента". РИА Новости (in Russian). 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
55. "ЦИК нашел в подписях за Надеждина более 5% допустимого брака" [The CEC found more than 5% of acceptable invalid signatures in the signatures in favour of Nadezhdin]. Kommersant (in Russian). 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
56. "Official site". Archived from the original on 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
57. "Иски в Верховный Суд РФ (Official Site)". Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
58. "Съезд "ЕР" единогласно поддержал кандидатуру Путина на выборах президента". www.mk.ru (in Russian). 2023-12-17. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
59. Dariya Garmonenko, Correspondent of the Politics Department of Nezavisimaya Gazeta (14 November 2023). "Надеждин с кем-нибудь разделит ненужные власти голоса". ng.ru. Retrieved 2023-11-16. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
60. "КПРФ определилась с кандидатом: главные итоги съезда коммунистов | Москва". ФедералПресс (in Russian). 2023-12-23. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
61. Нажбудинова, Амалия (2023-12-23). "Миронов поддержал Путина в качестве кандидата на выборах президента России". Известия (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-23.
62. "Лидер партии Социальной защиты Михайлов подал документы в ЦИК". 24 December 2023.
63. "Партия РОС определилась с кандидатом на выборах президента РФ - Газета.Ru | Новости". Газета.Ru (in Russian). 2023-12-23. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
64. "Бабурин снялся с выборов президента". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
65. "Партия роста присоединится к "Новым людям"". Ведомости (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-24.
66. ""Новые люди" проведут предвыборный съезд 24 декабря". ria.ru. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
67. Анасьева, Ольга (2023-12-24). "Политика Богданова выдвинули кандидатом на выборах президента от РПСС". Известия (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-25.
68. Елизавета КУЗНЕЦОВА. Еще один кандидат подал в ЦИК документы для участия в выборах президента России. Комсомольская Правда (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-28.
69. Нажбудинова, Амалия (2023-12-28). ""Коммунисты России" выдвинули Малинковича в кандидаты на выборах президента". Известия (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-29.
70. "Об участии в президентских выборах 2024 года". Партия Яблоко (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-21.
71. "Кто может стать миллионером" [Who can become a millionaire]. Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
72. ""Яблоко" передумало выдвигать кандидата на выборы президента". Ведомости (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-23.
73. "Явлинский отказался от выдвижения в президенты". РБК (in Russian). 2023-12-23. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
74. "Организаторам президентских праймериз лево-патриотических сил грозят уголовным делом". Левый Фронт (in Russian). 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
75. ^ Holger Roonemaa; Marta Vunsh; Anastasiia Morozova; Carina Huppertz; Mattias Carlsson; Mart Nigola; Hele-Mai Kulleste (26 February 2024), Kremlin Leaks: Secret Files Reveal How Putin Pre-Rigged his Reelection, VSquare, Wikidata Q124672623, archived from the original on 27 February 2024
76. ‘People don’t want to vote’ How the Kremlin plans to compensate for Russians’ record-low interest in the country’s upcoming election
78. A political education Putin’s order to appoint political commissars responsible for ‘strengthening patriotism’ in Russian government bodies
79. "Russia election: Stage-managed vote will give Putin another term". BBC. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
80. "Russia's presidential election: Three Putin challengers but little suspense". France 24. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
81. "Russia Kicks Off Early Voting in Occupied Ukrainian Regions". The Moscow Times. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
82. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 10, 2024
83. ^ "Occupied Ukraine encouraged to vote in Russian election by armed men". BBC. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
84. "Ukrainians living under Russian occupation are coerced to vote for Putin". Associated Press. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
85. Alexei Navalny's final plan to cause Vladimir Putin 'maximum damage'
86. "Bread Rolls and Dyson Hair Stylers: Russia Lures Voters With Election Day Freebies". The Moscow Times. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
87. "'Make the Young Fall in Love With Putin': Young Russians Pressured to Vote as Kremlin Demands Record Turnout". The Moscow Times. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
88. ^ "'Make the Young Fall in Love With Putin': Young Russians Pressured to Vote as Kremlin Demands Record Turnout". France 24. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
89. "Russians are voting in an election that holds little suspense after Putin crushed dissent". Associated Press. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
90. Steele, Jonathan (2022-04-06). "Vladimir Zhirinovsky obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
91. "Kremlin spokesman says Putin will be re-elected with over 90 percent of the vote, later clarifies this was his personal opinion". Meduza. 7 August 2023.
92. "Kremlin Spokesman Claims Putin Will Easily Win Reelection Next Year". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 7 August 2023.
93. Latypova, Leyla (2023-11-22). "Meet Putin's Possible Election Opponent: A Single Mother of 3 Calling for Peace". The Moscow Times.
94. "Pro-Peace Putin Challenger Blocked From Ballot". themoscowtimes.com. The Moscow Times. 23 December 2023.
95. Wong, Vicky (2023-11-19). "Putin critic Girkin wants to stand in Russia presidential election". BBC.
96. "'Hope for Change' or 'Kremlin Spoiler': Who Is Boris Nadezhdin, the Presidential Hopeful Uniting Pro-Peace Russians?". The Moscow Times. 25 January 2024.
97. ^ "Kremlin propagandists finally acknowledge anti-war presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin, and — surprise! — they say Kyiv and Russia's exiled opposition are controlling him". Meduza. 2 February 2024.
98. "'They killed him': Was Putin's critic Navalny murdered?". AlJazeera. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
99. "'Stand Beside Me': Navalny's Widow Promises to Carry on His Work". New York Times. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
100. "Navalnaya: Navalny won't see future Russia, but we must". DW News. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
101. Sauer, Pjotr (8 February 2024). "Russian anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin banned from election". The Guardian.
102. "Navalny Calls for Election Day Protest Against Putin, Ukraine Invasion". The Moscow Times. 1 February 2024.
103. Kozlov, Pyotr (17 February 2024). "Russia's Opposition in Exile Calls on EU Not to Recognize Putin's Election". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
104. Khodorkovsky, Mikhail (16 February 2024). "After Navalny's death, the West must get tougher on Putin". POLITICO. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
105. ""Президент, убивший своего главного оппонента, не может быть легитимным" Юлия Навальная призвала Евросоюз не признавать результаты выборов в РФ. "Медуза" публикует полный текст ее обращения" ["A president that kills his main opponent cannot be legitimate." Yulia Navalnaya calls on the EU to not recognize the results of the elections in the Russian Federation. Meduza publishes the full text of her message]. Meduza (in Russian). 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
106. Gozzi, Laura (6 March 2024). "Alexei Navalny: Widow urges Russians to protest on election day". BBC. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
107. "Moscow Authorities Threaten Criminal Charges for Election Day Rallies". The Moscow Times. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
108. "Latvian Minister Says Russians 'Essentially Support' Invasion By Voting". The Moscow Times. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
109. "Медуза — LIVE". Telegram. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
110. "Latvian Police to 'Screen' Russian Voters Outside Moscow's Embassy". The Moscow Times. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
111. Ivăncică, Mihaela (11 March 2024). "Ambasadorul Rusiei la Chișinău, convocat la MAE al R. Moldova după decizia Rusiei de a deschide secții de vot în Transnistria" (in Romanian). Pro TV.
112. "Russia Begins Voting as Ukraine Steps Up Border Attacks". The Moscow Times. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
113. ^ "Russians are voting in an election that holds little suspense after Putin crushed dissent". Associated Press. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
114. Elsa Court (6 March 2024). "Exiled official: Russian election organizer killed in explosion in occupied Berdiansk". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
115. ^ "Russia election: Arrests for vandalism as ballot boxes targeted in Putin vote". BBC. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
116. Lukiv, Jaroslav (12 March 2024). "Ukraine-based Russian armed groups claim raids into Russia". BBC. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
117. Elsa Court (13 March 2024). "Anti-Kremlin militia says fighting ongoing in 5 Russian settlements". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
118. Kateryna Denisova (13 March 2024). "Putin: Cross-border incursion by Russian anti-Kremlin militia 'attempt to interfere in elections'". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
119. "Multiple Russians arrested for pouring ink into ballot boxes, St. Petersburg woman throws Molotov cocktail at polling station". Meduza. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.

v t e Elections and referendums in Russia
Presidential elections	1991 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2018 2024 2030
Legislative elections	1906 1907 (Jan) 1907 (Oct) 1912 1917 1921 1938 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1980 1985 1990 1993 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 2026
Gubernatorial elections	1991–92 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004–05 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Regional elections	1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Referendums	1991 1993 (Apr) 1993 (Dec) 2020
See also: By-elections to the State Duma

• Current elections
• 2024 Russian presidential election
• 2024 elections in Russia
• March 2024 events in Russia
• Presidential elections in Russia
• Events affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine