Dmitry Medvedev has won Russia's 2008 Presidential election and vows to uphold Vladimir Putin's policies. Opponents Zyugnaov and Zhirinovsky claimed electoral fraud.

Backed by the support of outgoing Presdient Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev has easily won the 2008 Russian Presidential Election in a landslide. Russia’s Central Election Commission will announce the final results on Friday.

Election Results

Russia has almost 109 million registered voters, and election turnout was estimated at 64%, higher than in 2004. With 80% of ballots counted, the voting results are (does not total 100%):

• Dmitry Medvedev: United Russia - 69.59%
• Gennady Zyuganov: Communist Party - 18.16%
• Vladimir Zhirinovsky: Liberal Democrats of Russia - 9.71%
• Andrei Bogdanov: Independent (member of Democratic Party) - 1.27%

Candidates Prevented from Participation

Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov withdrew from the race in December after being prevented from renting space in Moscow for a nominating convention. Kasparov’s withdrawal came after his criticisms of the December 2007 parliamentary election process.

Mikhail Kasyanov, a former Prime Minister under Putin, was disqualified from participating in the election after the Central Election Commission claimed that signatures collected on his nominating petitions were falsified. The Commission said approximately 80,000 signatures (13%) were “unauthentic and invalid.”

Preferences of Russian Citizens

Many people in the West have been critical of Putin’s regime and the foregone conclusion regarding this election’s outcome. However, Putin’s popularity with Russians is undeniable. Michael Berk, a fellow at Toronto-based Canadian International Council said, “If Russians favor the continued course of Putin’s regime, whether it is authoritarian or democratic or totalitarian, then we should be more receptive and understanding to the conditions they find themselves.”

Berk continues, “The Russians have decided to go with survival and social order as first priorities and democratic changes in our western sense will be second priority.” It seems as though the majority of Russian citizens wish to continue down the path paved by Putin, and believe over the next four years he will continue to guide the country through Medvedev.

Election Fallout and Analysis

Zyuganov conceded defeat Sunday night, but claimed his supporters uncovered approximately 200 electoral violations. He asserts he would have won the election if there had been a direct debate (Medvedev refused to participate in televised debates with the other candidates), and plans to challenge the results in court.

Zhirinovsky also felt he should have received more votes and complained about the unfair allocation of state television airtime. Like Zyuganov, he vowed to dispute the results in court.

Bogdanov, however, was pleased with the results. Though he received less than 2% of the vote, he feels that the old generation of Democrats are finished. Bogdanov ran as an independent because the Democratic Party did not receive enough votes in the last Duma election to sponsor a candidate.

Zyuganov and Zhirinovsky’s court challenges are bound to fail. The Putin machine is much too strong to be affected by a mere legal appeal. There may have been some voting improprieties, but according to election polls, the Russian people want four more years of Putin's policies and direction.

Medvedev has pledged to uphold Putin’s policies and legacy, but the question is whether he will operate independently, or merely function as Putin’s figurehead. Since Medvedev is expected to name Putin as the country’s next Prime Minister, the answer should be apparent rather quickly. Medvedev is due to be sworn in on May 7.

References

“80% of ballots talied, Medvedev leads with 69.59%.” RosBusinessConsulting. March 3, 2008.

“Kremlin critic barred from election.” CNN/Europe. January 27, 2008.

“Medvedev vows to uphold Putin’s legacy.” Reuters. March 2, 2008.

Visser, Josh. “Russia’s election outcome hardly in doubt.” CTV.ca News. March 1, 2008.

von Twickel, Nickolaus and Max Delany. “2 of the 3 Losers Criticize Election By Anatoly Medetsky.” The Moscow Times. March 3, 2008.