On Thursday 25 April, the European Parliament strongly condemned “all the electoral violations” committed by Vladimir Putin’s regime during the Russian presidential election of 15-17 March 2024, “a so-called election that was held in a climate of fear and repression” and against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
“During the so-called presidential election, there were no genuine alternative candidates, no free media, no credible observers and no political freedoms”, stress the MEPs in the joint resolution they adopted (493 votes in favour, 11 against and 18 abstentions), concluding that “the so-called presidential election in Russia was illegitimate and undemocratic”. “This farcical performance by the Russian authorities had the single goal of creating the appearance of electoral legitimacy for Vladimir Putin, his policy of relentless domestic repression and, most of all, the war of aggression against Ukraine”, they add. Parliament also condemned the illegal elections held in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia.
According to MEPs, the EU Member States and the international community must not recognise the legitimacy of the result of the Russian presidential election, because “it was held in the illegally occupied territories of Ukraine, and, even within Russia, was neither free nor fair, did not meet the basic international electoral standards, and thus lacked democratic legitimacy”. They ask that relations with Mr Putin be limited to what is necessary for regional peace and for humanitarian and human rights purposes, such as prisoner exchanges, the return to Ukraine of illegally deported children or calls for the release of political prisoners.
Parliament also salutes the courage of the thousands of people in Russia who are protesting against Putin’s regime and seeking to transform their country into a democracy. It calls on the European Union and its Member States to continue to actively support independent Russian civil society organisations, independent media and human rights defenders, as well as Russia’s democratic opposition to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
To see the resolution, go to https://aeur.eu/f/byn (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)