Western leaders denounce Putin’s ‘illegal’ election win as allies send congratulations

President Vladimir Putin won a fifth term in the Kremlin with 87.28 percent of the vote, Russia’s electoral commission said Monday, after a three-day ballot in which he ran against no real challengers. While Putin’s friends and allies were quick to congratulate him, Western leaders denounced what they called an illegal election.

While the results of the 2024 presidential election was never in doubt, many Russians attempted to defy the inevitable outcome, heeding a call to protest Putin’s repression at home and his war in Ukraine by showing up at polling stations at noon on the last voting day of a three-day election.

But from the earliest returns, it was clear Putin would extend his nearly quarter-century rule with a fifth term.

The final results announced Monday, which did not include votes from abroad, showed Putin winning 87.28 percent of votes. The three other candidates who ran – but did not openly challenge Putin – won 4.31, 3.85 and 3.20 percent of the vote.

Here is a round-up of the main reactions so far:

Conditions for ‘free’ election not met, France says

– The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the election had not been free and fair and was based on repression and intimidation. Borrell added that the 27 EU nations would issue a joint statement on the election later on Monday.

– Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the result as illegitimate. “Everyone in the world understands that this person, like many others throughout history, has become sick with power and will stop at nothing to rule forever,” he said.

“There is no evil he would not do to maintain his personal power. And no one in the world would have been safeguarded from this.”

– France said the election took place amid “repression” and hailed the “many” Russians who demonstrated their opposition.

“The conditions for a free, pluralist and democratic election were not met,” the French foreign ministry said, adding the three-day vote took place amid “increasing repression of civil society and all forms of opposition to the regime”.

“France salutes the courage of the many Russian citizens who have peacefully demonstrated their opposition to this attack on their fundamental political rights,” it added.

– Germany‘s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock dismissed Putin’s re-election as a vote “without choice” after all genuine opposition was crushed. 

The election process shows “Putin’s heinous behavior against his own people”, Baerbock said at a meeting in Brussels. “The election in Russia was an election without a choice.”

– Britain’s Foreign Minister David Cameron said the “illegal” elections featured “a lack of choice for voters and no independent OSCE monitoring”, adding: “This is not what free and fair elections look like.”

– Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the “elections were neither free nor fair”.

“We are continuing to work for a just peace that will bring Russia to put an end to the war of aggression against Ukraine, in accordance with international law.”

– Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called the election a “farce and parody”. He said: “This was the Russian presidential election that showed how this regime suppresses civil society, independent media, opposition.”

– Former oligarch and prominent Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky called on Western governments not to recognize Putin’s election win, affirming that the opposition was united against the Russian ruler.

“It is now about… finally publicly recognizing Putin as illegitimate,” said Khodorkovsky. “We have high expectations for Western society, who we ask to turn to their governments to ask them not to recognize Putin as legitimate,” he said.

China, India, Turkey congratulate Putin

– Beijing congratulated Putin, saying that “China and Russia are each other’s largest neighbors and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners in the new era.”

Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said President Xi Jinping and Putin “will continue to maintain close exchanges, lead the two countries to continue to uphold longstanding good-neighborly friendship, deepen comprehensive strategic coordination”.

– Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a congratulatory message to Putin that he looked forward to boosting ties to develop their “special” relationship.

“Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come,” Modi wrote on social media platform X. He also offered his “warm congratulations” to Putin.

 Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Putin and offered to mediate between Moscow and Ukraine.

In a phone call with Putin on Monday, Erdogan said Turkey was ready to play a facilitator role to return to the negotiating table with Ukraine,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

– North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his congratulatory message said Russian voters had shown “unshakeable support” for Putin. 

“Your reelection to the heavy responsibility of the head of state is the Russian people’s valuable estimate of the outstanding leadership and tenacious executive ability you displayed in-state activities,” Kim said.

– Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik said: “The Serb people welcomed with joy the victory of President Putin for they see in him a great statesman and a friend on whom we can always count and who will watch over our people.”

– Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said: “Our older brother has triumphed, which bodes well for the world.”

(FRANCE 24 with AFP , AP and Reuters)