Russian media says Vladimir Putin's stand-off with the West has increased the size of his election win; observers say there was no real choice for voters
Vladimir Putin has said he is open to 'constructive' dialogue with other states after being re-elected president of Russia. Pic/AFP
Russian media has said Vladimir Putin's growing stand-off with the West had boosted the size of his election victory, while liberal journalists voiced fears over his stranglehold on politics.
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"An absolute victory and a complete knockout for his opponents," pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda headlined its story. The result deals a "crushing blow" to the West, the tabloid added, saying that "the worst nightmare of our Western 'partners' has come true." "Unprecedented pressure from the outside world on Russia force Russians to close ranks and unite around the authorities," political analyst Andrei Kolyadin told Vedomosti liberal business daily.
Russians were spurred by issues that have isolated Moscow on the international scene such as the Olympic ban over doping and the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain, analysts said.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta quoted political analyst Alexei Mukhin estimating that the fact that Western powers "are ostracising our country" added 5 to 10 per cent points to the turnout.
"The foreign policy factor guaranteed a high turnout," the newspaper wrote. Meanwhile, Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny's calls to boycott the vote had the opposite effect — bolstering turnout, some newspapers wrote.
Navalny's boycott campaign alienated "even protest-minded citizens," wrote Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily. Kommersant FM journalist Stanislav Kucher slammed the opposition in an opinion piece, saying their failure to agree among themselves had helped Putin. Liberal media such as Vedomosti focused on the "problem of 2024", when Putin will be constitutionally barred from standing for a third consecutive term.
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