🤥 Putin to Pamfilova: “Competitive, democratic elections are three times more important for Russia” On April 1 (sic!), Vladimir Putin told members of Russia’s Central Election Commission of Russia late that “competitive, democratic elections” are indispensable for the country. 🗣️ “Competitive, democratic elections are a mandatory, irreplaceable, constitutional instrument for forming a strong and capable government. Under our current conditions, this is doubly, triply important. It is the foundation of people’s trust in the state, of citizens’ direct involvement in governing their country and forming institutions of power, and therefore trust in that power, political stability, and the continuity of sovereign development.” The remarks came just two days after Ella Pamfilova was reappointed without opposition or debate to a third term as chair of the CEC, a record in modern Russian history. Of the Commission’s 15 members, 12 retained their positions, underscoring the continuity of the body’s leadership. According to Pamfilova, 1,197 election commission members at various levels have gone to serve in the war in Ukraine, officially referred to by Russian authorities as the “special military operation,” and 109 have been killed. She also noted that Russia now has 1,092 named polling stations, dedicated to heroes of the World War II, while 94 polling stations have been named after participants in the current war. #RussianPolitics #Putin #RussianElections #CEC #Pamfilova Photo: Kommersant kremlin.ru/events/preside…
