The Kremlin has apparently set concrete targets for the upcoming elections in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, the occupation authorities are to report a voter turnout of more than 65 to 70 percent. In addition, President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party must receive at least 70 percent of the votes.
Russia plans to hold the State Duma elections from September 18 to 20, including in parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which Moscow occupies and has annexed. Ukraine rejects Russian authority over these territories and considers any vote organized there illegal. Moscow does not fully control any of the four regions.
According to Kovalenko, the Kremlin wants to use the elections to create the appearance of public support for the occupation and the attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory. “The elections in the temporarily occupied territories are completely illegal, but Russia wants to use them to legitimize the occupation,” he said. He also pointed to the increasingly war-friendly political environment in Russia: all registered parties support the continuation of military operations against Ukraine.
On Monday, Russia’s Supreme Court excluded the liberal Yabloko party from the Duma election and revoked its registration. The party, which was the only officially registered party to oppose the war, announced it would appeal. Kovalenko viewed the exclusion as an attempt to deny anti-war voters a measurable voice in the vote.
Source: www.kyivpost.com
