Day one of Russian elections is already leaving people baffled
The elections have been met with opposition already, with at least three polling stations set on fire by activists.
Today marks the first day of voting for Russia’s presidential elections – and it’s already off to a bizarre start.
While the result is expected to give Vladimir Putin another term as president, some of the weird and wonderful happenings at polling stations across the country have been taking centre stage.
From performances by pro-war singers to cardboard cutouts of controversial American television host Tucker Carlson, Russia has gone all out.
At one polling station inside of a folklore centre in Arkhangelsk, north Russia, voters were given a show by dancing women in folk attire while munching on free pancakes.
Tyumen gave voters a chance to pose with a cardboard cutout of Tucker, who interviewed Putin earlier this year, after casting their ballots.
And one polling area was visited by a Soviet children’s cartoon character dubbed Cheburashka.
The chairman of the election commision in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug said: ‘The voters themselves showed creativity. A voter came to one of our polling stations dressed as Cheburashka, one of our cultural Russian symbols.
‘He created a festive atmosphere at the site, everyone paid attention to it. In this way, the voters themselves create a festive atmosphere.’
A couple in Yakutia decided to come to the polling station right after sharing their vows – donning their wedding attire while casting a ballot.
A now viral post on Telegram showed the couple walking into the voting centre and read: ‘The newly-minted family Daria and Dmitry Timoshenko from the Republic of Sakha decided after registering their marriage to immediately go to the polling station.’
The newlyweds were reportedly given a standing ovation.
But the elections have been met with opposition already, with at least three polling stations set on fire by activists.
In Moscow, an elderly woman was arrested for setting fire to a voting booth, according to the Moscow Times.
Another group of protestors spilled green dye into ballot boxes across Russia in an attempt to render some votes useless.
There’s no doubt Putin will win another election – as Russia’s state-controlled Central Election Commission disqualified two candidates on technical grounds. Other opponents are rotting in jail or exiled abroad.
Recent events, including the death and alleged killing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, show how far the president is willing to go to silence dissent.
Dan Storyev, managing editor at OVD-Info, a human rights monitor focused on Russia, said nowhere is safe for those opposing the Kremlin’s war.
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