U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Kremlin's marginalization of civil society and the "intense repression" of independent voices in Russia mean a weekend presidential election that saw Vladimir Putin claim a fifth presidential term in a landslide "can only be described as undemocratic."
Blinken said in a statement issued by the State Department on March 19 that ahead of the election, the Kremlin had "systematically marginalized" groups advocating for democratic processes and rule of law, including independent election monitors, while also denying potential candidates critical of Putin from running "on spurious technical pretenses."
"These steps illustrate the extent to which the Kremlin has denied its citizens a transparent, meaningful democratic process. Against this backdrop, this election can only be described as undemocratic," Blinken said in the statement.
The 71-year-old Putin -- who has ruled as either president or prime minister since 2000 -- is set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's nearly 30-year reign by the end of his new term to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries.
Putin won another six-year term with a post-Soviet record of 87.3 percent of the vote, with turnout at a record 77.4 percent, according to the Central Election Commission.
The March 15-17 vote is the first for Putin since he launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that has killed tens of thousands of Russians and led to a clear break in relations with the West. In holding what has widely been viewed as faux elections, Putin wants to show that he has the nation's full support, experts say.
The vote was also held in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers are located. Moscow illegally annexed the regions since launching the invasion, though it remains unclear how much of the territory it controls.
In the tightly controlled race, Putin was opposed by three relatively unknown, Kremlin-friendly politicians whose campaigns were barely noticeable.
Prior to the election, the Kremlin banned anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin from the ballot after tens of thousands of voters lined up in the cold to support his candidacy. Nadezhdin threatened to undermine the narrative of a united nation behind Putin and his war, experts say.
Russia's opposition movement suffered a serious blow last month when Aleksei Navalny, who was Putin's fiercest and most popular critic, died in unclear circumstances in a maximum-security prison in the Arctic where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism widely seen as politically motivated.
"The Kremlin conducted sham presidential elections in temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine as a blatant propaganda exercise, in the hopes it would strengthen Russia's illegitimate claim to the parts of Ukraine it illegally invaded and now occupies," Blinken said.
"Weeks before the election, Aleksei Navalny died in prison after years of harassment and cruel treatment at the hands of Russian authorities for his continued efforts to foster genuine democracy in Russia."
Earlier on March 19, Navalny's widow, Yulia, urged the international community to refuse to recognize Putin as a "legitimate" leader of the country saying the elections have "no meaning."
SEE ALSO: Navalnaya Tells World Not To Recognize Putin As 'Legitimate' LeaderBefore his death, Navalny had hoped to use the vote to demonstrate the public's discontent with both the war in Ukraine and Putin's iron-fisted rule.
He, and subsequently his wife, called on voters to cast their ballot at exactly noon on March 17, naming the action "Noon Against Putin."
Long lines could be seen at many polling stations around the country at the appointed hour, which Navalnaya said showed the protesters were the real "winners" of the election.
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Thousands Join Navalny-Backed Anti-Putin Protests As Russians Vote
Blinken said that regardless of the "predetermined outcome" of the election, the United States "will continue to stand with those who are pursuing a brighter future for Russia."