Russian elections 2018

Scottie said:
Ant22 said:
Four more years of a ray of sanity shining through the dark clouds of Western intellectual decline.

SIX years!

That's a lot of Putin...

:thup:

Yes, six more years of real diplomacy and political mastery. I'm sad I couldn't vote for him though. Maybe some day it will be possible, one can at least hope I guess. :D As for Putin possibly going over to the dark side, I see not the slightest indication for it, quite the contrary in fact! He remains BY FAR the best leader we have at this point of time. What he accomplished since his first term, both domestically inside russia as well as abroad, is nothing short of amazing and miraculous. And it doesn't look like he has implemented all of his positive plans for russia yet. If his latest address to the nation is anything to go by, we can expect much more improvements, both inside russia and its allies.

Long way to go! :rockon: :hug: :clap:
 
Pashalis said:
As for Putin possibly going over to the dark side, I see not the slightest indication for it, quite the contrary in fact! He remains BY FAR the best leader we have at this point of time. What he accomplished since his first term, both domestically inside russia as well as abroad, is nothing short of amazing and miraculous. And it doesn't look like he has implemented all of his positive plans for russia yet. If his latest address to the nation is anything to go by, we can expect much more improvements, both inside russia and its allies.

Long way to go! :rockon: :hug: :clap:

I agree!!! To Putin: :clap: :perfect: :rockon:

And I do think Putin pretty much actualized of what the Cs have been saying about him back in 2013:

A: The real war, as you know, is on normal people via proxies.

Q: (Kniall) Are the Russians really trying to stop this?

A: At the moment.

Q: (Perceval)So...

A: Putin is also not so heartless.

Q: (Perceval)What are the chances that if the Americans and French bomb Syria, that Putin and the Russian military would respond?

A: Very good unless things change.

Q: (Mr. Scott) Except things change every five minutes, so that doesn't mean much. (L) Yeah. (Perceval)Yeah, it's ongoing.

The impression I have been receiving from Putin is that of a man with a big heart, really striving to make things better. We have seen that in Syria indeed - how he did his best in doing a thorough job in eliminating the Western proxies terrorizing the country while also delivering aid to the Syrian people. And without continued Western meddling and their persistence in trying to push through their concept of regime change, plus without the involvement of additional players like Turkey, Syria would possibly be free of strife by now. And of course, Putin managed to build up what was left of Russia after it had been wrecked during the Jelzin era by Western vultures and their Russian oligarchical cronies. And not only that - thanks to him Russia is now being perceived as a major player on the world stage and a serious geopolitical rival to the US, with an improving economy.

I agree that this is no easy feat - not by a long shot; and it doesn't make me any wonder that Putin achieved that landslide victory. I also do think, he might have even received more votes, if for example Russian people in the Ukraine had not been barred from voting at diplomatic missions - as a revenge for the alleged 'annexation' of Crimea, according to RT

Ukraine is barring some 72,000 Russian citizens on its territory from voting in Russia’s presidential election, over the issue of reunification with Crimea. Moscow has slammed the move as "direct interference" in its affairs.

Two days before the Russian presidential election kicked off, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced that police and the National Guard would prevent Russian citizens living in the country from casting ballots at diplomatic missions. Only those who hold diplomatic passports would be allowed in the buildings, Avakov warned.

Any other persons and Russian citizens will not be allowed onto the territory of the diplomatic missions,” he wrote on his Facebook page. It comes in retaliation to Moscow’s decision to hold voting in Crimea, despite a request by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry not to, Avakov said.

Crimea rejoined Russia in 2014 following a referendum that showed overwhelming support for reunification amid a violent coup that ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and foreshadowed years of bloodshed in the east of the country. The date of the presidential vote, March 18, marks exactly four years after the peninsula reunited with Russia. Ukraine considers Crimea to be “temporarily occupied territory” and elections there as violating Ukrainian law.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned Ukraine’s decision, saying that the steps taken by Kiev “contradict not only the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular relations, but also international human rights norms, including the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) of 1950.” Hindering Russian citizens' access to the polls constitutes “direct interference” into Russian domestic matters, it said.

The ministry also reminded Kiev that even at the lowest points of Russia-Ukraine relations, Moscow never infringed on the rights of Ukrainian citizens to take part in parliamentary and presidential elections, including in votes that brought the current Ukrainian administration to power.

Ukraine also called on other countries, including EU states and Turkey, not to accept the results of the presidential election in Crimea and introduce sanctions against those involved in their organization. The Russian Foreign Ministry said such calls were “puzzling,” adding that “Russia does not need the regime in Kiev to recognize its elections.”

Moscow expects the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), as well as other influential international organizations to take note of Ukraine’s stance.

Russians are voting on Sunday, March 18, to elect one of eight candidates: Pavel Grudinin (Communist Party of the Russian Federation), Vladimir Putin (independent), Ksenia Sobchak (Civic Initiative), Vladimir Zhirinovksy (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia), Sergey Baburin (All-People's Union), Maxim Suraykin (Communists of Russia), Boris Titov (Party of Growth) and Grigory Yavlinsky (Yabloko).

Some 72,000 Russian citizens in Ukraine are eligible to vote in the presidential elections, according to the Russian Electoral Commission. The diplomatic missions that would normally allow them to cast their ballots are located in the cities of Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa and Lvov.

Even Radio Free Europe, a known propaganda tool, reported in a similar way (with the difference they follow the Western perspective with Crimea [and Eastern Ukraine]):

_https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-voting-blocking-security/29106771.html

KYIV -- Russian voters in Ukraine were blocked from casting their ballots in Russia's presidential election on March 18, as Ukrainian authorities stepped up security outside diplomatic facilitates and nationalists staged anti-Moscow protests.

Two days prior to the election, in which President Vladimir Putin was heading for a landslide win, Ukrainian authorities announced that only Russian diplomats in Ukraine would be allowed to cast ballots at Russian diplomatic missions.


The move came in retaliation for Russia's annexation of Crimea, which on March 18 voted in a presidential election for the first time since it was taken over in 2014.

Ukrainian police on March 18 guarded the Russian Embassy in Kyiv and consular offices in Odesa, Lviv, and Kharkiv, while nationalist groups protested the election at Russian diplomatic compounds.

Members of Ukrainian national groups gathered on a street near the Russian Embassy in Kyiv, having previously pledged to prevent Russians from voting in the election on Ukrainian territory.

In Kharkiv, Russian nationals came to their consulate in the eastern Ukrainian city but said they were not able to vote. Right-wing activists at the scene brought a mock coffin with an effigy of Putin inside.

One Russian voter in Kharkiv told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that he wanted to cast his ballot in the election but was unable to.
He said he planned to travel to the Russian city of Belgorod, 80 kilometers away, to vote.

Russia accused Ukraine of violating international norms.

"It is an open interference into the purely domestic affairs of the Russian Federation, which can entail escalation of tension in the already strained bilateral relations," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement quoted by TASS on March 18.

Ukraine's National Police said that there were no major disruptions of public order in the country on March 18.

Millions of ethnic Russians live in Ukraine, but it is unclear how many are registered to vote in Russia.

Ukraine is protesting voting in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula seized by Russia exactly four years ago in a referendum largely rejected by the international community as illegitimate. That came just a month after Moscow sent in troops without insignia to secure military bases and other key sites on the peninsula.

Kyiv is also angry with Russia’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, where more than 10,300 people have been killed in fighting since April 2014.

Russia's Central Election Commission says that 72,000 Russian citizens have registered with the Russian consulate in Ukraine, Gazeta.ru reported.

France has voiced opposition to the Russian presidential voting in Crimea.

"Challenging borders by force is contrary to international law, including commitments made by the Russian Federation," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement on March 18.

"Four years after the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and [the city of] Sevastopol, France remains firmly attached to the full restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders," the French statement said.
 
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