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    Lotteries, dressed-up figures, and other peculiar entertainment at the Putin's sham elections

    Current regime needs people to come to the polls in order to show the regime's legitimacy inside the country. Authorities find ways of 'entertainment'  that would attract people to vote.
    by Daria Dergacheva Mar 18, 2024 2 minutes

    Originally published on Global Voices

    Vladimir Putin has been in power for over 25 years. Screenshot of a video from DW YouTube channel. Fair Use.

    The elections from March 15 to 17 are the fifth ones for Vladimir Putin, who has been in power for over 25 years. Many observers have called this a formal ‘electoral procedure’, not real elections because in absence of a free press, repression of all forms of dissent, and failure to admit any even slightly independent candidates, have long been a feature of Putin's elections.

    However, just like in the Soviet times,  the current regime needs people to come to the polls in order to show the regime's legitimacy inside the country, the overwhelming manufactured support for Vladimir Putin. Thus, authorities responsible for conducting elections, especially in the regions, find ways of ‘entertainment’  that would attract people to vote.  

    While in many regions lotteries and prizes were promised,  some also organized dressed-up figures and weird decorations for making a photo session. Investigative journalist Andrey Zakharov  gathered some of them on his X/formerly Twitter feed. 

    Interactive corner at the poll station

    Lottery at the poll station

    Everyone can decide what is this for themselves

    Several independent media accounts have also posted videos from election polls in the regions of Russia

    One of the first ones at the election station was Chebyrashka [a character from Soviet cartoon].  We want to come to the elections of Russian President, he would have probably said.

    What people are entertained with at election poll stations in Russia?

    Tucker Carlson is back in Russia. [He is a former Fox TV presenter who recently interviews Putin]

    The sham elections lasted till 8pm on March 17.  As for preliminary ‘results’ announced by the election commission on the same day, Putin won with over 85 percent of votes.

    Originally published in Global Voices.

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