Putin says lines at polling stations ‘show that Russia cannot be intimidated.’ In Moscow, people waited hours for paper ballots due to a system glitch.
Vladimir Putin commented on elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, held in Russia September 18–20, thanking Russians for their “active participation” in the campaign.
Vladimir Putin praised Russians for participating in the recent State Duma elections, held from September 18-20, stating that the lines at polling stations prove Russia cannot be intimidated. The Russian leader noted the significant voter turnout, indicating widespread support for his government's efforts to strengthen the country.
He addressed the "SVO participants," urging them to know that the vote was for them, and that the people believe in their victory. However, long lines formed at Moscow polling stations on Sunday, September 20, due to a technical issue with the electronic voter list system that prevented voters from obtaining paper ballots for several hours.
Opposition leaders had encouraged people to come to the polls at noon as a form of protest during this election, but fewer lines formed compared to the "Noon Against Putin" campaign in the 2024 presidential election.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
