Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin for winning another six-year term. “Warm congratulations to H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet. “Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come.”
On Sunday, Putin won another term as President after cornering 87 per cent of votes, by far the biggest landslide in post-Soviet Russian history, according to official results after nearly all the votes had been counted. Turnout was more than 77 per cent, also the biggest in Russia’s post-Soviet history.
The Kremlin said Putin’s re-election showed the Russian people were consolidated around him and that Moscow was not interested in Washington’s criticism as the United States was de-facto at war with Russia in Ukraine.
“This is the most eloquent confirmation of the level of support from the population of the country for its president, and its consolidation around him,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The White House said the Russian elections were “obviously not free nor fair” as Putin had imprisoned his opponents and prevented others from running against him.
(With inputs from Reuters)
