In Sunday's Russian election, it was widely anticipated that the incumbent President Vladimir Putin would be reelected. As the exit polls were released, they confirmed what many had expected.
“This election was neither free nor fair but tightly controlled,” stated SVT's foreign correspondent Carl Fridh Kleberg.
By 9 PM Moscow time, the first exit poll from the Russian election was released. According to Reuters, Vladimir Putin is projected to win a substantial majority with 87.8 percent of the votes.
“It has been clear from the beginning that Putin would win big. This isn't the final result yet. But if this result holds, it's higher than many expected the Kremlin would announce,” Fridh Kleberg commented.
The president has been repeatedly criticized for conducting elections that are neither free nor fair.
Although there were other eligible candidates on the ballot, not just anyone could run for the position. The country's authoritarian regime has repeatedly altered election laws to benefit the current government.
Moreover, the law that a president can only serve two terms has been abolished. If the exit polls are accurate, this will mark Putin's fifth term in office.
