The conquest of Ukrainian territories, which in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea relaunched the popularity of Vladimir Putin, he is no longer the electoral wild card of yesteryear. Russia elected regional governors and deputies over the weekend. In dozens of regions and municipalities, members of the ruling party United Russia, were facing growing competition from the country’s so-called “systemic opposition,” as the popularity of the “party of power” appears increasingly uncertain. Despite everything, the campaign has been settled without serious setbacks for the Kremlin and dissidence, illegalized, has had no options to condition the agenda.
The governors, and also the powerful position of mayor of Moscow, were settled in a total of 21 regions and demarcations of Russia, also in the occupied territories. These first elections after the shock of February 2022 come as the country remains stuck in the 19th month of its war against Ukraine, a campaign that was initially sold to the Russian public as a quick and successful “special military operation.”
A week ago the polls were opened in areas controlled by Russia in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Jerson y Zaporizhia. The same people who signed the annexation with Putin have applied there. The opposition is merely nominal. The US has said that these votes in occupied territories are not legitimate.
The opposition tolerated supports Putin’s war in Ukraine and does not question the cleanliness of the system. Campaign messages have overlooked the cost of Ukraine conflict and instead they have praised the help that the Government has provided to the families of soldiers.
In some regions they have voted for several days, which, according to critics, makes it difficult for observers to monitor the entire process. The voting system also raised doubts. online which, according to opposition activists, was used to attribute votes to United Russia in the 2021 elections to the lower house of parliament, the State Duma.