Editorial: Russia’s Ukraine invasion remains unlawful despite Putin’s reelection

In Russia’s first presidential election since its invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin won his fifth career term. But in a race where anti-war advocates had been eliminated in advance, he cannot use this to justify aggression.

Putin won over 80% of the votes, the highest in the country’s history, in a landslide victory. Voter turnout was 74%, surpassing the previous election in 2018.

However, the outcome was clear from the beginning. Individuals who opposed the invasion were not allowed to run due to reasons such as paperwork errors.

These included the liberal Boris Nadezhdin, a former member of the lower house, and Yekaterina Duntsova, a former journalist who advocated for peace. The Putin administration worked to increase voter turnout by introducing electronic voting and granting voters points that could be used as cash substitutes.

A sham with blocked opposition

The three candidates other than Putin included leaders of the Communist Party and the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia — all of whom support the country’s military aggression, meaning they were opposition candidates within the framework of the regime.

Anti-Putin opposition leader Alexei Navalny had urged votes for candidates other than Putin as a protest against the regime, but died suddenly in prison last month.

An arrest warrant has been issued against Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it was determined that Russian forces taking children from the war zone constituted a war crime.

As the war drags on, Russia is deepening its international isolation. Even if people wanted to express their disapproval of the current government through the election, they had no such choice.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was not allowed to send observers to the election, leaving its fairness questionable. Arson and other obstructions at some polling stations were potential signs of voters expressing dissatisfaction.

Voting was also enforced in the four eastern and southern Ukrainian provinces unilaterally declared annexed by Russia. This act aimed at establishing a fait accompli cannot be overlooked.

It’s only natural that 57 countries and regions including Japan, the United States and the European Union condemned the election in the occupied territories as “illegal” and “null and void” under international law.

Concerns lie in the impact on the Ukraine situation. Upon his victory, Putin stated that he would “carry out everything as planned” and emphasized his stance to continue the “special military operation.”

Two years have passed since the invasion. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Ukrainian civilian casualties have exceeded 10,000.

Russia is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and bears a special responsibility for the stability of the international community and world peace. Putin should immediately withdraw his troops from Ukraine.

Since 1991, the Russian presidential elections have been relatively fair, and Western countries hoped for the advancement of democratization in Moscow.

“We’ll become a free, prosperous, rich, and strong, civilized country,” Putin had said at his inauguration when first elected in 2000.

However, his administration has since intensified suppression of the opposition, restrictions on the activities of human rights organizations and the media, and invaded its neighbor. Only the revival of a “strong Russia” is being emphasized, while policies for a “free” and “civilized” Russia have been left behind.

Concerns of ‘electoral dictatorship’ growing

Russia’s presidential term was initially four years and limited to two consecutive terms, but was extended to six years by a constitutional amendment in 2008. Furthermore, a 2020 amendment allowed for two 12-year terms starting from 2024. If reelected in the next election, Putin will remain in office until 2036.

His tenure would then reach a total of 32 years, surpassing the 29 years of Joseph Stalin, the supreme leader of the former Soviet Union. The constitution, intended to prevent the emergence of a dictator, is being exploited to strengthen authoritarianism.

Similar trends are spreading to other countries. According to a Swedish independent research institute’s recently released report, the number of countries with “electoral dictatorship,” where political leaders become increasingly authoritarian while holding elections, increased from 36 in 1973 to 55 in 2023.

Authoritarianism is also on the rise in parts of Europe. In the United States, former President Donald Trump, refused to accept the results after being defeated in the last election, causing social turmoil.

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato warned in his main work “The Republic” that “dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy.” Looking at the current situation in Russia, we are painfully reminded the ancient philosopher’s words from about 2,400 years ago still ring true.

Japan, the U.S., Europe and the remaining members of the international community must put a stop to this global trend of democracy’s setback.