Radio Free Europe 3/19/2024
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, has urged the international community to refuse to recognize President Vladimir Putin as a "legitimate" leader of the country after elections last weekend that have "no meaning."
Talking to her supporters in a video message posted on social media on March 19, Navalnaya urged them to "not give up" in opposing Putin, who easily won the vote with more than 87 percent of the ballots in the absence of rival candidates after having any potential challenger jailed or barred from running.
"The result of this election has no meaning. Putin wants to show the world that he apparently has huge support," Navalnaya said.
"These elections are over but nothing is finished. On the contrary, we should gather our strength and work harder than ever before," she added.
Putin claimed a fifth presidential term with a landslide victory in a tightly controlled March 15-17 election, which has been condemned by the West as neither free nor fair, as he sought to prove overwhelming popular support for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine and increasingly repressive policies.
More:
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-elections-navalnaya-no-significance-putin-mafia/32868475.html
