Press
In the middle of the war, Putin wants to secure his power. Sahra Wagenknecht criticizes the election in Russia as a farce – and calls for a change of course in the West.
Moscow – A controversial presidential election for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to retain power has begun in Russia, with the opposition excluded. In the largest country in the world by area, the polling stations opened on Friday (March 15) first in the far east. The election, which is intended to secure the 71-year-old Putin another six years in office, is overshadowed by the war in Ukraine and massive allegations of manipulation. The response in Germany is correspondingly harsh.
Sahra Wagenknecht was concerned about the developments in the Russia election. “The scope for freedom of expression and opposition has become increasingly narrow in recent years,” said the chairwoman of the Alliance for Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) at the start of the elections in Russia fr.de from IPPEN.MEDIA. It is to be feared that Russian society will become more and more illiberal the longer the war in Ukraine and the associated repression lasts. She therefore described the election as a “farce”.
Aiming for a fifth term in office: Putin expects a historic result in the Russian election – the reactions
Due to the eleven time zones, the election in Russia lasts until Sunday (March 17th), when the last polling stations in Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg) on the Baltic Sea close at 7 p.m. (CET). The first forecasts and results are expected immediately afterwards. Russian state pollsters have already predicted more than 80 percent of the vote for Putin, who has been in power for nearly a quarter century and is seeking a fifth term. That would be the highest result for him ever. Putin’s three competitors are not only seen as having no chance. They are also all in line with the Kremlin and sometimes directly support the incumbent. Applicants who spoke out against Putin’s war of aggression were not even accepted as candidates.
Wagenknecht describes elections in Russia as a farce – and calls for a rethink
Nevertheless, Wagenknecht calls for a rethink. “The fact that Putin is still firmly in the saddle has not only to do with oppression and a lack of democracy, but also with the West’s wrong policy towards Russia,” says the BSW chairwoman. The course of trying to bring Putin to his knees through confrontation and sanctions is increasingly proving to be a dead end. Instead of humiliating Russia and driving it further into isolation, “we should return to a policy of detente and balancing interests,” she said and at the same time recalled that this course was once the beginning of change in the East under the Social Democratic Chancellor Willy Brandt bloc confrontation could be overcome.
Dealing with election farce in Russia: Union sees little scope for easing sanctions
However, Wagenknecht is currently rather alone with this attitude. The representatives of the SPD, the Union and the Greens also share the assessment that the Russian elections are a farce. Nevertheless, given the suppressed opposition in Russia and the developments in the Ukraine war, they see little scope for easing sanctions policy. “It is foreseeable that we will have to organize European security against Russia as long as Putin and his henchmen hold the levers of power,” said CDU foreign policy expert Johann Wadephul fr.de from IPPEN.MEDIA – without wanting to give up hope for an end to the Putin era.
Union politician Norbert Röttgen made similar comments. The foreign policy expert is certain that Putin will use his sham election to support his war. “But the farce of his re-election does not actually make him any stronger, all of his weaknesses remain,” Röttgen told our editorial team. It is now important that the West does not reduce its support for Ukraine. “On the contrary, the West must and can support Ukraine in such a way that the war fails,” said Röttgen, adding: “This is also the best support for progress in Russia’s internal development.” (jkf)