2024-03-17 16:56:27
“Let’s mark once morest Putin on the ballot”… Long lines at the polling place at noon
Human rights group “More than 74 people detained nationwide”… There are no major conflicts
Proof shot of Russian presidential election ‘noon voting protest’
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(Moscow = Yonhap News) Correspondent Choi In-young = On the 17th (local time), the last day of the Russian presidential election, so-called ‘Navalny protests’ took place in various places at 12 noon.
Supporters of anti-government activist Alexei Navalny, who died in prison last month, urged people to show up at the polls at noon on the 17th ahead of the presidential election to express their protest once morest Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Even Navalny, when he was alive, proposed such a ‘Noon Resistance to Putin’ protest and claimed, “This is a completely legal and safe political action.”
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In fact, by noon on this day, long lines of voters waiting to join the protest formed at several polling places in Russia.
Yulia (28), a Moscow citizen who participated in voting at noon that day, told Yonhap News, “There were a lot of police officers deployed, but nothing special happened,” and “the election officials urged me to vote quickly and leave, so I had to vote quickly and move on.” “he said.
He said, “I voted for all four candidates” in order to comply with Navalny’s request to vote for a candidate other than President Putin or to invalidate the vote.
Alexandra (24), a St. Petersburg citizen, also told Yonhap News, “I went to vote at noon to pay tribute to Navalny. I was scared, but I hoped for change and wanted to participate in that change.”
Alexandra said that out of the four people she voted for, she voted for Vladislav Davankov, who is a newcomer and is evaluated as being close to the opposition, such as supporting freedom of the press.
However, he added that he felt uneasy because there was no curtain in the polling booth and there was a person guarding the ballot box.
Voters gathered in front of a Moscow polling station at noon on the 17th
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“I wasn’t afraid to go to the noon voting protest because I mightn’t refuse to express my will,” said Moscow citizen Irina (57) with a proud expression. “I did everything I might today.”
A 30-year-old woman living in Moscow said following participating in the protest, “The atmosphere was like a funeral. I felt like nothing would change no matter what I did,” and added, “It may not change the situation, but I was able to show that there are a lot of opponents in Russia.”
Russian authorities warned in advance of the noon protest movement that organizing or participating in an “uncoordinated protest” might result in up to five years in prison. Depending on the area, police are said to have checked the identities of people in line or checked their belongings.
However, as the method of protest was a ‘minimum protest’ through voting, no major physical clashes between public authorities and citizens occurred.
Russian human rights group OVD Info said that at least 74 people were detained in 17 cities in connection with the presidential election.
Independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported on social media that supporters also left messages such as “We choose you” while laying flowers at Navalny’s grave in southeastern Moscow.
Reuters said, “Russia is a vast territory, so the noon voting participants are scattered, so it is difficult to estimate how many people gathered for the protest,” and confirmed that dozens to thousands of people gathered depending on the polling station.
Foreign media reported that Russians living abroad also flocked to polling stations for overseas nationals, including embassies and consulates, in large numbers at noon in each country.
Yulia Navalnaya participates in a noon voting protest in Berlin, Germany
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, appeared at the midday protest in Berlin, Germany, along with Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, and received applause and cheers from other participants, Reuters reported.
In Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, a man who threw two Molotov cocktails into the yard of the Russian embassy was caught by police, Tass news agency reported.
People participating in the noon voting protest for the Russian presidential election
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