Sonam Sheth
Tue, August 8, 2023
Business Insider
Russian President Vladimir Putin.GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images
The Kremlin's spokesperson said Russia "theoretically" doesn't need to hold presidential elections next year.
The elections don't need to happen because "it's obvious that Putin will be reelected," Dmitry Peskov said.
Putin has maintained a tight grip on power, making his 2024 re-election all but certain.
A spokesperson for the Kremlin said this week that Russia "theoretically" doesn't need to hold presidential elections next year because it's "obvious" that Vladimir Putin will win.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin's chief spokesperson, described Russia's presidential election as "not really democracy" but "costly bureaucracy" in an interview with The New York Times over the weekend.
"Mr, Putin will be reelected next year with more than 90 percent of the vote," he added.
After the article was published, Peskov claimed he was misquoted by The Times and tried to clarify his comments, telling Russia's RBK news outlet that the 2024 election "theoretically" doesn't need to happen because "it's obvious that Putin will be reelected."
Putin's reelection in March 2024 is indeed almost certain; but the Russian leader has largely maintained his grip on power by cracking down on the independent press, reportedly approving the assassinations and imprisonment of dissidents and political rivals; and approving a sweeping change to Russia's constitution that allows him to stay in power until 2036.
Next year's presidential election — if it happens — will also come amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Putin, who described the invasion as a "special military operation," has characterized it as being essential to Russia's survival as a nation, but the war is increasingly unpopular among Russian citizens and even within the Russian military.
One Russian inmate told The New York Times in June that he believed he was signing up to become an army construction worker when a government official recruited him from prison. Instead, he was sent to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine and captured by Ukrainian forces a few days later.
Other Russian soldiers said that they were "fucking fooled like little kids" and had no clue they were being sent to a war zone. In one audio recording previously obtained by The Times, a Russian soldier told his mother during a phone conversation that "no one told us we were going to war. They warned us one day before we left."
Russian elections are 'costly bureaucracy' that 'don't have to be held,' Putin spokesman says
Timothy Nerozzi
Tue, August 8, 2023
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the unified coalition around the leader makes democratic elections unnecessary and irrelevant.
Press secretary Dmitry Peskov remarked to Russian media that democratic elections have become a "costly bureaucracy" that serves no purpose due to the supposed widespread support for Putin.
"Elections are what a democracy demands and Putin himself decided to hold them, but theoretically, they don’t even have to be held," Peskov told state media outlet RBK.
RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI NAVALNY SENTENCED TO 19 YEARS IN PRISON
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a joint news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.
He added, "Because it’s clear that Putin will be elected. That’s completely my personal opinion."
Peskov told RBK he was seeking to clarify his statement to The New York Times earlier this week that he claims was misquoted.
"Our presidential election is not really democracy, it is costly bureaucracy," Peskov told the New York Times in an article published Aug. 6. "Mr. Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90 percent of the vote."
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow.
The press secretary's comments on Russian democracy follow the conviction of political opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was found guilty of extremism by a Russian court on Friday.
Navalny, already serving a nine-year sentence on separate political charges, was sentenced to an additional 19 years.
"I understand perfectly that, as many political prisoners, I’m serving a life sentence, which is measured by the length of my life or the length of life of this regime," Navalny told his supporters via social media.
Navalny has long been Putin's most outspoken critic, leading anti-corruption watchdog organizations and protesting Kremlin policy.
In 2020, he sought medical attention in Germany after being poisoned with a nerve agent. He was arrested after returning to Moscow in January 2021.
Timothy Nerozzi
Tue, August 8, 2023
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the unified coalition around the leader makes democratic elections unnecessary and irrelevant.
Press secretary Dmitry Peskov remarked to Russian media that democratic elections have become a "costly bureaucracy" that serves no purpose due to the supposed widespread support for Putin.
"Elections are what a democracy demands and Putin himself decided to hold them, but theoretically, they don’t even have to be held," Peskov told state media outlet RBK.
RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI NAVALNY SENTENCED TO 19 YEARS IN PRISON
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a joint news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.
He added, "Because it’s clear that Putin will be elected. That’s completely my personal opinion."
Peskov told RBK he was seeking to clarify his statement to The New York Times earlier this week that he claims was misquoted.
"Our presidential election is not really democracy, it is costly bureaucracy," Peskov told the New York Times in an article published Aug. 6. "Mr. Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90 percent of the vote."
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow.
The press secretary's comments on Russian democracy follow the conviction of political opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was found guilty of extremism by a Russian court on Friday.
Navalny, already serving a nine-year sentence on separate political charges, was sentenced to an additional 19 years.
"I understand perfectly that, as many political prisoners, I’m serving a life sentence, which is measured by the length of my life or the length of life of this regime," Navalny told his supporters via social media.
Navalny has long been Putin's most outspoken critic, leading anti-corruption watchdog organizations and protesting Kremlin policy.
In 2020, he sought medical attention in Germany after being poisoned with a nerve agent. He was arrested after returning to Moscow in January 2021.
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