2012 Russian presidential election

2012 Russian presidential election
	Opinion polls
Registered	109,860,331
Turnout	65.27% (4.44pp)
	Results by federal subject ; Vladimir Putin: 45–50% 50–55% 55–60% 60–65% 65–70% 70–75% 75–80% 80–85% 85–90% 90–95% >95%
President before election; Dmitry Medvedev ; United Russia	Elected President; Vladimir Putin ; United Russia

Last updated November 27, 2024

Presidential elections were held in Russia on 4 March 2012.^[1] There were five officially registered candidates: four representatives of registered parties, and one nominal independent. The election was the first one held after constitutional amendments were introduced in 2008, in which the elected president for the first time would serve a six-year term, rather than a four-year term.

At the congress of the ruling United Russia party in Moscow on 24 September 2011, the incumbent president Dmitry Medvedev proposed that his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, stand for the presidency in 2012, an offer which Putin accepted. Putin immediately offered Medvedev the opportunity to stand on the United Russia ticket in the parliamentary elections in December 2011 and become prime minister at the end of his presidential term.^[2] All independents had to register by 15 December 2011, and candidates nominated by parties were required to register by 18 January 2012. The final list was announced on 29 January. On 2 March, outgoing president Medvedev addressed the nation on the national television channels about the upcoming elections, inviting citizens to vote.^{[ citation needed ]}

Putin received 63.6% of the vote,^[3] securing a third overall term. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe observers assessed the voting on the election day positively overall, but assessed the vote count negatively in almost one-third of polling stations due to procedural irregularities.^[4]^[5]

Candidates

The following individuals submitted documents to the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) in order to be officially registered as presidential candidates.

Registered candidates

The following candidates were successfully registered by the CEC, candidates are listed in the order they appear on the ballot paper (alphabetical order in Russian):

Candidate name, age, political party	Political offices	Campaign
Vladimir Zhirinovsky (65) Liberal Democratic Party	Deputy of the State Duma (1993–2022) Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (1991–2022)	(campaign)
Gennady Zyuganov (67) Communist Party	Deputy of the State Duma (1993–present) Leader of the Communist Party (1993–present)	(campaign)
Sergey Mironov (59) A Just Russia	Deputy of the State Duma (2011–present) Leader of A Just Russia (2006–2011 and 2013–present) Chairman of the Federation Council (2001–2011) Senator from St. Petersburg (2001–2011)	(campaign)
Mikhail Prokhorov (46) Independent	Leader of Right Cause (2011)	(campaign)
Vladimir Putin (59) United Russia	Prime Minister of Russia (1999–2000 and 2008–2012) Leader of United Russia (2008–2012) President of Russia (2000–2008) Director of the Federal Security Service (1998–1999)	(campaign)

Campaigning

Sergey Mironov

A Just Russia nominee called for a return to a socialist model of government.^[6]

Mikhail Prokhorov

Mikhail Prokhorov conducted a tour around the country, meeting with his supporters in various cities. He was the only candidate to do so except for Putin, who visited Russia's regions as a part of his Prime Minister of Russia duties.

If elected, Prokhorov promised to reinstate elections for Russia's governorships.^[7] He also promised to pardon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.^[7] He promised to reverse the recent constitutional amendment that had lengthened presidential terms from four years to six.^[7] He stated that he would select Alexei Kudrin to serve as his prime minister.^[7] Prokhorov promised to dismantle state control of the media and prohibit all forms of censorship and state control of major television and radio stations.^[7] He promised to dismantle large energy monopolies, including dismantling Gazprom.^[7] He also stated that he favored better relations with the European Union.^[7]

Vladimir Putin

In the course of the 2012 presidential campaign, in order to present his manifesto, Putin published 7 articles in different Russian newspapers. In those articles, he presented his vision of the problems which Russia successfully solved in the last decade and the goals yet to be achieved. The topics of the articles were as follows: the general overview, the ethnicity issue, economic tasks, democracy and government efficiency, social policy, military and foreign policy.^[8]

Speeches

During the campaign Putin made a single outdoor public speech at a rally of his supporters in the Luzhniki Stadium on 23 February, Russia's Defender of the Fatherland Day.^{[ citation needed ]} In the speech, he called on the Russian people not to betray the Motherland, but to love her and to unite for the common good.^[9] He said that foreign interference in Russian affairs should not be allowed, and Russia's national sovereignty should be paramount.^[9] He compared the political situation (when there was widespread fear that the 2011–13 Russian protests could instigate a color revolution directed from abroad) with the First Fatherland War (more generally known as Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Russia), reminding listeners that the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino would be celebrated in 2012.^[9] Putin cited Lermontov's poem Borodino and ended the speech with Vyacheslav Molotov's famous Great Patriotic War slogan "The Victory Shall Be Ours!" ("Победа будет за нами!").^[9]

The BBC reported that some attendees claimed they had been ordered by their employers to take part in the rally, or paid to do so. Some said they had been told they were attending a "folk festival". After Putin spoke, popular folk band Lubeh took to the stage.^[10]

Vladimir Zhirinovsky

Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky is a veteran of Russian politics who has participated in five presidential elections in Russia (every election since 1996). Zhirinovsky's campaign slogan for 2012 was "Vote Zhirinovsky, or things will get worse".^[11] Proshka, a donkey owned by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, became prominent during the presidential campaign, when he was filmed in an election advertisement video.

Gennady Zyuganov

In September 2011, Gennady Zyuganov again became the CPRF's candidate for the Russian presidential election.^{[ citation needed ]}

Opinion polls

Results


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Vladimir Putin	United Russia	45,602,075	64.35
	Gennady Zyuganov	Communist Party	12,318,353	17.38
	Mikhail Prokhorov	Independent	5,722,508	8.08
	Vladimir Zhirinovsky	Liberal Democratic Party	4,458,103	6.29
	Sergey Mironov	A Just Russia	2,763,935	3.90
Total			70,864,974	100.00

Valid votes			70,864,974	98.83
Invalid/blank votes			836,691	1.17
Total votes			71,701,665	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			109,860,331	65.27
Source: CEC

There were over 108,000,000 eligible voters and almost all 95,000 polling stations had webcams to observe the voting process. Following criticism of the vote in the December elections, 2 web cameras were dedicated to streaming the activities at each polling station, at an expense of five million dollars,^[12] i.e. about $50 per polling station.

By federal subject

Region	Vladimir Putin United Russia		Gennady Zyuganov Communist Party		Mikhail Prokhorov Independent		Vladimir Zhirinovsky Liberal Democratic Party		Sergey Mironov A Just Russia		Invalid votes
Region	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Adygea	141,257	64.07%	45,311	20.55%	13,145	5.96%	11,164	5.06%	6,637	3.01%	2,967	1.35%
Altai Krai	674,139	57.35%	261,665	22.26%	83,778	7.13%	97,961	8.33%	45,883	3.90%	12,004	1.02%
Altai Republic	68,110	66.87%	17,229	16.92%	6,265	6.15%	5,704	5.60%	3,406	3.34%	1,141	1.12%
Amur Oblast	251,182	62.84%	67,433	16.87%	23,070	5.77%	39,717	9.94%	13,594	3.40%	4,708	1.18%
Arkhangelsk Oblast	333,344	57.97%	91,648	15.94%	60,108	10.45%	51,169	8.90%	33,223	5.78%	5,522	0.96%
Astrakhan Oblast	297,448	68.76%	67,662	15.64%	21,873	5.06%	21,918	5.07%	18,595	4.30%	5,107	1.18%
Baikonur	7,509	70.79%	1,288	12.14%	722	6.81%	586	5.52%	317	2.99%	185	1.74%
Bashkortostan	1,731,716	75.28%	326,250	14.18%	83,667	3.64%	83,704	3.64%	57,329	2.49%	17,592	0.76%
Belgorod Oblast	533,716	59.30%	21,1079	23.45%	49,807	5.53%	59,561	6.62%	35,601	3.96%	10,209	1.13%
Bryansk Oblast	448,018	64.02%	146,340	20.91%	32,141	4.59%	42,974	6.14%	23,453	3.35%	6,922	0.99%
Buryatia	275,466	66.20%	75,082	18.04%	24,430	5.87%	22,211	5.34%	13,994	3.36%	4,921	1.18%
Chechnya	611,578	99.76%	182	0.03%	129	0.02%	140	0.02%	165	0.03%	876	0.14%
Chelyabinsk Oblast	1,124,538	65.02%	254,542	14.72%	138,907	8.03%	97,869	5.66%	88,177	5.10%	25,366	1.47%
Chukotka	21,310	72.64%	2,651	9.04%	2,209	7.53%	2,106	7.18%	633	2.16%	428	1.46%
Chuvashia	438,070	62.32%	144,676	20.58%	38,838	5.52%	39,707	5.65%	31,201	4.44%	10,465	1.49%
Dagestan	1,322,567	92.84%	84,669	5.94%	6,427	0.45%	1,523	0.11%	4,163	0.29%	5,155	0.36%
Ingushetia	153,274	91.91%	7,422	4.45%	1,934	1.16%	1,944	1.17%	1,761	1.06%	428	0.26%
Irkutsk Oblast	594,861	55.45%	242,097	22.57%	94,008	8.76%	88,419	8.24%	41,152	3.84%	12,186	1.14%
Ivanovo Oblast	321,170	61.85%	95,005	18.30%	37,016	7.13%	37,650	7.25%	23,060	4.44%	5,338	1.03%
Jewish Autonomous Oblast	48,912	61.59%	14,796	18.63%	5,102	6.42%	6,632	8.35%	2,763	3.48%	1,208	1.52%
Kabardino-Balkaria	299,529	77.64%	53,261	13.81%	8,937	2.32%	11,888	3.08%	11,753	3.05%	418	0.11%
Kaliningrad Oblast	240,421	52.55%	97,570	21.33%	62,016	13.56%	35,625	7.79%	16,139	3.53%	5,712	1.25%
Kalmykia	93,500	70.30%	23,295	17.51%	8,029	6.04%	3,374	2.54%	3,562	2.68%	1,242	0.93%
Kaluga Oblast	299,175	59.02%	101,459	20.01%	40,911	8.07%	37,634	7.42%	21,427	4.23%	6,327	1.25%
Kamchatka Krai	93,738	59.84%	25,009	15.97%	14,015	8.95%	16,504	10.54%	5,430	3.47%	1,951	1.25%
Karachay-Cherkessia	266,410	91.36%	16,937	5.81%	2,629	0.90%	2,851	0.98%	2,162	0.74%	631	0.22%
Karelia	171,380	55.38%	50,957	16.47%	37,798	12.22%	26,579	8.59%	18,886	6.10%	3,839	1.24%
Kemerovo Oblast	1,267,837	77.19%	133,705	8.14%	75,519	4.60%	112,067	6.82%	37,450	2.28%	16,002	0.97%
Khabarovsk Krai	367,239	56.15%	115,436	17.65%	62,145	9.50%	68,500	10.47%	31,944	4.88%	8,733	1.34%
Khakassia	144,519	58.40%	50,872	20.56%	19,400	7.84%	20,991	8.48%	8,878	3.59%	2,819	1.14%
Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug	469,822	66.41%	97,651	13.80%	50,526	7.14%	57,400	8.11%	23,276	3.29%	8,829	1.25%
Kirov Oblast	399,810	57.93%	127,982	18.54%	63,993	9.27%	54,531	7.90%	36,005	5.22%	7,864	1.14%
Komi Republic	341,864	65.02%	70,135	13.34%	43,759	8.32%	40,314	7.67%	22,738	4.32%	6,970	1.33%
Kostroma Oblast	183,984	52.78%	90,714	26.02%	26,517	7.61%	28,204	8.09%	16,094	4.62%	3,076	0.88%
Krasnodar Krai	1,715,349	63.72%	496,909	18.46%	181,844	6.75%	176,119	6.54%	88,976	3.31%	32,893	1.22%
Krasnoyarsk Krai	784,337	60.16%	235,058	18.03%	109,827	8.42%	112,222	8.61%	46,123	3.54%	16,279	1.25%
Kurgan Oblast	305,777	63.39%	83,955	17.40%	27,725	5.75%	41,340	8.57%	19,280	3.99%	4,314	0.89%
Kursk Oblast	366,745	60.45%	122,775	20.24%	38,002	6.26%	49,744	8.20%	23,101	3.81%	6,350	1.05%
Leningrad Oblast	501,893	61.90%	114,951	14.18%	80,874	9.98%	54,857	6.77%	47,518	5.86%	10,664	1.32%
Lipetsk Oblast	382,179	60.99%	132,408	21.13%	34,778	5.55%	44,697	7.13%	24,722	3.95%	7,751	1.24%
Magadan Oblast	39,196	56.25%	13,946	20.01%	6,769	9.71%	6,399	9.18%	2,607	3.74%	769	1.10%
Mari El	228,612	59.98%	84,200	22.09%	24,282	6.37%	24,895	6.53%	15,175	3.98%	3,984	1.05%
Mordovia	506,415	87.06%	42,060	7.23%	9,353	1.61%	13,635	2.34%	6,448	1.11%	3,796	0.65%
Moscow	1,994,310	46.95%	814,573	19.18%	868,736	20.45%	267,418	6.30%	214,703	5.05%	87,698	2.06%
Moscow Oblast	2,015,379	56.85%	686,449	19.36%	396,379	11.18%	236,028	6.66%	149,801	4.23%	61,332	1.73%
Murmansk Oblast	244,579	60.05%	65,190	16.00%	39,291	9.65%	32,933	8.09%	20,566	5.05%	4,752	1.17%
Nenets Autonomous Okrug	13,346	57.05%	4,040	17.27%	2,349	10.04%	2,114	9.04%	1,239	5.30%	304	1.30%
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast	1,187,194	63.90%	353,964	19.05%	125,432	6.75%	110,808	5.96%	63,189	3.40%	17,366	0.93%
North Ossetia–Alania	289,643	70.06%	87,017	21.05%	6,848	1.66%	13,063	3.16%	12,864	3.11%	3,995	0.97%
Novgorod Oblast	179,501	57.91%	54,875	17.70%	27,017	8.72%	22,955	7.41%	22,066	7.12%	3,556	1.15%
Novosibirsk Oblast	762,126	56.34%	304,761	22.53%	124,205	9.18%	104,223	7.70%	41,001	3.03%	16,410	1.21%
Omsk Oblast	541,469	55.55%	234,035	24.01%	72,540	7.44%	74,857	7.68%	39,284	4.03%	12,644	1.30%
Orenburg Oblast	577,411	56.89%	252,947	24.92%	58,849	5.80%	74,414	7.33%	41,104	4.05%	10,212	1.01%
Oryol Oblast	237,868	52.84%	130,934	29.09%	27,632	6.14%	33,549	7.45%	15,066	3.35%	5,102	1.13%
Penza Oblast	492,031	64.27%	150,786	19.70%	39,908	5.21%	48,915	6.39%	24,213	3.16%	9,688	1.27%
Perm Krai	736,496	62.94%	184,639	15.78%	127,098	10.86%	53,879	4.60%	51,535	4.40%	16,562	1.42%
Primorsky Krai	567,177	57.31%	201,493	20.36%	78,639	7.95%	85,396	8.63%	43,168	4.36%	13,796	1.39%
Pskov Oblast	211,265	59.69%	73,073	20.64%	25,824	7.30%	23,760	6.71%	16,164	4.57%	3,880	1.10%
Rostov Oblast	1,324,042	62.66%	423,884	20.06%	134,461	6.36%	132,418	6.27%	76,633	3.63%	21,742	1.03%
Ryazan Oblast	370,945	59.74%	132,981	21.42%	37,903	6.10%	47,068	7.58%	25,562	4.12%	6,508	1.05%
Saint Petersburg	1,403,753	58.77%	311,937	13.06%	370,799	15.52%	110,979	4.65%	157,768	6.61%	33,331	1.40%
Sakha	317,933	69.46%	65,871	14.39%	29,712	6.49%	20,010	4.37%	20,193	4.41%	3,978	0.87%
Sakhalin Oblast	128,565	56.30%	45,730	20.03%	22,337	9.78%	20,016	8.77%	8,856	3.88%	2,846	1.25%
Samara Oblast	912,099	58.56%	320,128	20.55%	125,423	8.05%	117,828	7.56%	61,361	3.94%	20,828	1.34%
Saratov Oblast	934,685	70.64%	206,818	15.63%	59,006	4.46%	66,985	5.06%	43,267	3.27%	12,400	0.94%
Smolensk Oblast	273,232	56.69%	111,182	23.07%	32,516	6.75%	38,246	7.94%	20,930	4.34%	5,843	1.21%
Stavropol Krai	770,874	64.47%	215,600	18.03%	75,724	6.33%	83,543	6.99%	37,551	3.14%	12,448	1.04%
Sverdlovsk Oblast	1,337,781	64.50%	251,690	12.14%	237,780	11.46%	107,819	5.20%	113,353	5.47%	25,560	1.23%
Tambov Oblast	444,978	71.76%	107,797	17.38%	19,594	3.16%	28,179	4.54%	13,973	2.25%	5,570	0.90%
Tatarstan	1,967,291	82.70%	229,711	9.66%	69,708	2.93%	52,994	2.23%	41,878	1.76%	17,322	0.73%
Tomsk Oblast	261,581	57.07%	86,403	18.85%	53,028	11.57%	35,139	7.67%	16,966	3.70%	5,194	1.13%
Tula Oblast	587,952	67.77%	147,019	16.95%	43,917	5.06%	50,218	5.79%	29,601	3.41%	8,862	1.02%
Tuva	132,828	90.00%	6,370	4.32%	2,925	1.98%	2,574	1.74%	2,023	1.37%	860	0.58%
Tver Oblast	387,308	58.02%	131,591	19.71%	59,302	8.88%	49,384	7.40%	32,835	4.92%	7,076	1.06%
Tyumen Oblast	611,281	73.10%	95,398	11.41%	43,047	5.15%	59,083	7.07%	20,455	2.45%	6,915	0.83%
Udmurtia	515,755	65.75%	116,277	14.82%	67,362	8.59%	49,160	6.27%	26,803	3.42%	9,048	1.15%
Ulyanovsk Oblast	387,540	58.18%	160,089	24.03%	37,437	5.62%	46,384	6.96%	27,783	4.17%	6,926	1.04%
Vladimir Oblast	341,301	53.49%	132,400	20.75%	60,315	9.45%	53,615	8.40%	41,895	6.57%	8,484	1.33%
Volgograd Oblast	810,598	63.41%	240,998	18.85%	711,42	5.56%	87,657	6.86%	55,325	4.33%	12,696	0.99%
Vologda Oblast	361,720	59.44%	93,417	15.35%	57,064	9.38%	49,492	8.13%	40,306	6.62%	6,596	1.08%
Voronezh Oblast	800,024	61.34%	292,379	22.42%	69,813	5.35%	81,081	6.22%	47,974	3.68%	13,073	1.00%
Voting abroad	323,686	73.24%	31,785	7.19%	59,942	13.56%	12,006	2.72%	8,674	1.96%	5,838	1.32%
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug	283,313	84.58%	18,738	5.59%	7,807	2.33%	17,456	5.21%	4,979	1.49%	2,669	0.80%
Yaroslavl Oblast	365,892	54.53%	133,476	19.89%	71,007	10.58%	51,816	7.72%	41,212	6.14%	7,569	1.13%
Zabaykalsky Krai	327,407	65.69%	71,636	14.37%	29,466	5.91%	49,612	9.95%	15,015	3.01%	5,271	1.06%
Russia ^[13]	45,602,075	63.60%	12,318,353	17.18%	5,722,508	7.98%	4,458,103	6.22%	2,763,935	3.85%	836,691	1.17%

Electoral irregularities

International observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) found that although all competitors had access to the media, Putin was given clear prominence.^[4] Strict candidate registration requirements also limited "genuine competition".^[4] According to Tonino Picula, the Special Co-ordinator to lead the short-term OSCE observer mission,

There were serious problems from the very start of this election. The point of elections is that the outcome should be uncertain. This was not the case in Russia. There was no real competition and abuse of government resources ensured that the ultimate winner of the election was never in doubt.^[4]

The OCSE observers concluded that voting on the day of the election was assessed positively overall, but the "process deteriorated during the vote count which was assessed negatively in almost one-third of polling stations observed due to procedural irregularities."^[4] The OSCE called for a thorough investigation of the electoral violations and urged citizens to actively oversee future elections in order to increase confidence.^[4]

Allegations were made that Putin supporters had been driven around in coaches in order to vote for him in multiple constituencies (which is known as carousel voting).^[14] Vote stuffing was documented by video monitoring systems, which were installed on most voting stations.^[15]

Pravda alleged that industrial plants with a continuous-cycle production have violated the law by bussing workers to polling centres.^[16] The chairman of the Moscow Election Committee Valentin Gorbunov countered the accusation saying that this was normal practice and did not constitute a violation. According to Iosif Diskin, a member of the Public Chamber of Russia, there were special observers who controlled that workers have legal absentee certificates. Information about carousel voting was, according to him, not confirmed.^[17] Georgy Fyodorov, director of the NGO "Citizens Watch" ("Гражданский контроль"), said that statements from the monitoring group GOLOS about carousel voting in Strogino District were false,^[18] however, Citizens Watch never addressed the evidence of the electoral fraud presented by GOLOS. The level of electoral manipulation is substantial. According to GOLOS, one third of all electoral commissions had substantial irregularities at the stage of vote counting and tabulation.^[19]

Claims that Putin's share of the vote was inflated by up to 10% were dismissed by Putin in a talk with journalists: "It's possible there were irregularities, probably there were some. But they can only influence hundredths of a per cent. Well, maybe one per cent; that I can imagine. But no more."^[20] Ruža Tomašić, OSCE observer from Croatia, noted that there were no irregularities at five polling stations near Kaluga.^[21]

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation did not acknowledge the results of the election.^[22]

Protests

On 11 March 2012 approximately 15,000–20,000 protesters demonstrated in Novy Arbat street against perceived fraud and Putin's rule.^[23] MP Ilya Ponomaryov, a protest coordinator, described the protesters' plans: "We must be the government's constant nightmare and build up to a crescendo of protests at the time of Putin's inauguration in early May."^[23]

Inauguration

Putin was inaugurated in the Kremlin on 7 May 2012. Public protests had taken place in Moscow on 6 May with estimated 8,000^[24]-20,000 protesters taking part.^[25] 80 people were injured in confrontations with police (including over 30 policemen)^[26] and 450 arrests were made on 6 May^[27] and another 120 arrests the following day.^[27]

Cost

The election cost 10.375 million roubles according to a report given by the Russian Central Election Commission. According to the report, during the campaign, budget funds have been spared.^[28]

Related Research Articles

Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky was a Russian right-wing populist politician and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) from its creation in 1992 until his death in 2022. He had been a member of the State Duma since 1993 and leader of the LDPR group in the State Duma from 1993 to 2000, and from 2011 to 2022.

LDPR — Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is a Russian ultranationalist and right-wing populist political party in Russia. It succeeded the Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union (LDPSU) in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The party was led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky since its inception until his death in April 2022. Opposing both communism and capitalism of the 1990s, the party scored a major success in the 1993 Duma elections with almost 23% of the vote, giving it 64 seats of the 450 seats in the State Duma. In the 2021 elections, the party received 7.55% of the vote, giving it 21 seats.

On the federal level, Russia elects a president as head of state and a parliament, one of the two chambers of the Federal Assembly. The president is elected for, at most, two consecutive six-year terms by the people. The Federal Assembly has two chambers. The State Duma has 450 members, elected for five-year terms. The Federation Council is not directly elected; each of the 89 federal subjects of Russia sends 2 delegates to the Federal Council, for a total of 208 (178 + 30, members.

Presidential elections were held in Russia on 14 March 2004. Incumbent President Vladimir Putin was seeking a second full four-year term. It was a landslide victory for Putin, who was re-elected with 72% of the vote.

Presidential elections were held in Russia on 26 March 2000. Incumbent prime minister and acting president Vladimir Putin, who had succeeded Boris Yeltsin after his resignation on 31 December 1999, sought a four-year term in his own right and won in the first round.

Presidential elections were held in Russia on 2 March 2008 and resulted in the election of Dmitry Medvedev as the third President of Russia. Medvedev was elected for a four-year term with the support of incumbent president Vladimir Putin and five political parties, received 71% of the vote, and defeated Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

Presidential elections were held in Belarus on 19 March 2006. The result was a victory for incumbent, President Alexander Lukashenko, who received 84.4% of the vote. However, Western observers deemed the elections rigged. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) declared that the election "failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections". In contrast, election observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) described the vote as open and transparent.

Legislative elections were held in Russia on 2 December 2007. At stake were the 450 seats in the 5th State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Eleven parties were included in the ballot, including Russia's largest party, United Russia, which was supported by President of Russia Vladimir Putin. Official results showed that United Russia won 64.3% of the votes, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation 11.6%, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 8.1%, and Fair Russia won 7.7%, and none of the other parties won enough votes to gain any seats.

The fairness of the 2008 Russian presidential election is disputed, with election monitoring groups giving conflicting reports. Most official reports accept that not all candidates had equal media coverage and that some election monitoring groups had restricted access to perform their role. Monitoring groups found a number of other irregularities, but made no official reports of fraud or ballot stuffing.

Snap presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 25 May 2014 and resulted in Petro Poroshenko being elected President of Ukraine. Originally scheduled to take place on 29 March 2015, the date was brought forward following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. Poroshenko won the elections with 55% of the vote, enough to win in a single round. His closest competitor, Yulia Tymoshenko, received 13% of the vote. The Central Election Commission reported voter turnout over 60%, excluding the regions not under government control. Since Poroshenko obtained an absolute majority in the first round, a run-off second ballot was unnecessary.

Legislative elections were held in Russia on 4 December 2011. At stake were the 450 seats in the 6th State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. United Russia won the elections with 49.32% of the vote, taking 238 seats or 52.88% of the Duma seats.

On 6 February 2012, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the former far-right populist leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, released a 30-second election video on the Internet that featured him on a sleigh which was harnessed with a black donkey. Zhirinovsky later claimed he owned the animal and that the animal was named Proshka, after Mikhail Prokhorov, another candidate in the 2012 Russian presidential election. The video was named "Troika" at the official site of the LDPR, but was distributed on YouTube under the title: "Zhirinovsky beats donkey!".

Civic Platform is a conservative political party in Russia. The party was formed on 4 June 2012 by businessman and 2012 presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov.

Presidential elections were held in Russia on 18 March 2018. Incumbent president Vladimir Putin was eligible to run. He declared his intent to do so on 6 December 2017 and was expected to win. This came following several months of speculation throughout the second half of 2017 as Putin made evasive comments, including that he had still not decided whether he would like to "step down" from the post of president, that he would "think about running", and that he "hadn't yet decided whether to run for another term". Different sources predicted that he would run as an independent to capitalize more support from the population, and although he could also have been nominated by the United Russia party as in 2012, Putin chose to run as an independent. Among registered voters in Russia, 67.5% voted in the election.

In 2010, after the long-standing mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov's resignation, then-President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev appointed Sergey Sobyanin for a five-year term. After the protests sparked in December 2011, Medvedev responded to that by a series of measures supposed to make political power more dependent on voters and increase accessibility for parties and candidates to elections; in particular, he called for re-establishing elections of heads of federal subjects of Russia, which took effect on June 1, 2012. On February 14, 2013, Sobyanin declared the next elections would be held in 2015, and a snap election would be unwanted by Muscovites, and on March 1, he proclaimed he wanted to run for a second term as a mayor of Moscow in 2015.

Legislative elections were held in Russia from 17 to 19 September 2021. At stake were 450 seats in the 8th convocation of the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Going into the elections, United Russia was the ruling party after winning the 2016 elections with 343 of the 450 seats, and retaining a supermajority. In March 2020, it was proposed to hold a snap election in September 2020 due to proposed constitutional reforms, but this idea was abandoned. On 18 June 2021, Vladimir Putin signed a decree calling the election for 19 September the same year. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia, voting in the election lasted for three days, from 17 to 19 September. Final turnout was reported to be 51.72%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Russian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Russia from 15 to 17 March 2024. It was the eighth presidential election in the country. The incumbent president Vladimir Putin won with 88% of the vote, the highest percentage in a presidential election in post-Soviet Russia, gaining a fifth term in what was widely viewed as a foregone conclusion. He was inaugurated on 7 May 2024.

The Vladimir Zhirinovsky presidential campaign, 2000 was the election campaign of Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the 2000 election.

The Vladimir Zhirinovsky 2012 presidential campaign was the election campaign of Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the 2012 election.

The Mikhail Prokhorov 2012 presidential campaign was the 2012 campaign of businessman Mikhail Prokhorov for the Russian presidency.

References

↑ "Russia's presidential elections scheduled for March 2012". B92 . RIA Novosti. 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
↑ "Russia's Putin set to return as president in 2012". BBC News. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
↑ Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation Archived 4 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine . Cikrf.ru. Retrieved on 5 March 2012.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Russia's presidential election marked by unequal campaign conditions, active citizens' engagement, international observers say". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
↑ Herszenhorn, David M. (5 March 2012). "Observers Detail Flaws in Russian Election". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
↑ "Zyuganov and Mironov: Back to the future". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Balmforth, Tom (20 January 2012). "Prokhorov Says He's No 'Kremlin Stooge,' Lays Out Campaign Platform". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
↑ "7 статей и джек-пот: Путин завершил серию публикаций". neprussia.ru. 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
1 2 3 4 "Путин: Главное, чтобы мы были вместе", vz.ru, (in Russian).
↑ "Putin tells stadium rally 'battle' is on for Russia". BBC News. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
↑ "Profiles of Russia's 2012 presidential election candidates". BBC News. 26 January 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023.
↑ Brooke, James; Golloher, Jessica; Nesnera, Andre de (2 March 2012). "After Big Protests, Russians Vote for President". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
↑ "Regional results". Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
↑ "Russian elections: Hunting the 'carousel' voters". BBC News. 5 March 2012.
↑ "Cамые невероятные вбросы, когда-либо снятые на видео". tvrain.ru. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
↑ "И пусть нам приснится "карусель"..." Pravda.RU. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
↑ "Иосиф Дискин: Никаких доказательств существования "каруселей" не выявлено". Pravda.RU. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
↑ "Федоров: Не все нарушения подтверждаются". Pravda.RU. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
↑ "Краткое заявление ассоциации "ГОЛОС" по итогам наблюдения хода выборов Президента России, назначенных на 4 марта 2012 г." 4 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
↑ Russia elections: Vladimir Putin admits "possible irregularities", Telegraph, retrieved 11/3/2012
↑ http://www.tportal.hr/vijesti/svijet/181183/Nisam-vidjela-nepravilnosti-u-Rusiji.html | In Croatian
↑ "Мы не признаем выборы!". kprf.ru. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
1 2 Moscow protest: opposition call for civil rights campaign against Vladimir Putin after his election victory, Telegraph, retrieved 11/3/2012
↑ Провокация вместо марша vz.ru
↑ "Russian police battle anti-Putin protesters". Reuters. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
↑ СК пересчитал пострадавших полицейских во время "Марша миллионов" Lenta.ru
1 2 Parfitt, Tom (7 May 2012). "Vladimir Putin inauguration shows how popularity has crumbled". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
↑ "Over 10 million roubles spent for presidential elections in RF – CEC", ITAR Tass, 12 May 2012.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Russia's presidential elections scheduled for March 2012". B92 . RIA Novosti. 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.

[2] "Russia's Putin set to return as president in 2012". BBC News. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.

[3] Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation Archived 4 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine . Cikrf.ru. Retrieved on 5 March 2012.

[OSCE-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Russia's presidential election marked by unequal campaign conditions, active citizens' engagement, international observers say". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

[nytimes-2018-5] Herszenhorn, David M. (5 March 2012). "Observers Detail Flaws in Russian Election". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

[6] "Zyuganov and Mironov: Back to the future". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2019.

[platformprokhorov1-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Balmforth, Tom (20 January 2012). "Prokhorov Says He's No 'Kremlin Stooge,' Lays Out Campaign Platform". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 28 July 2018.

[8] "7 статей и джек-пот: Путин завершил серию публикаций". neprussia.ru. 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.

[vz-luzhniki-9] 1 2 3 4 "Путин: Главное, чтобы мы были вместе", vz.ru, (in Russian).

[10] "Putin tells stadium rally 'battle' is on for Russia". BBC News. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.

[clown-showman-11] "Profiles of Russia's 2012 presidential election candidates". BBC News. 26 January 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023.

[12] Brooke, James; Golloher, Jessica; Nesnera, Andre de (2 March 2012). "After Big Protests, Russians Vote for President". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

[13] "Regional results". Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[14] "Russian elections: Hunting the 'carousel' voters". BBC News. 5 March 2012.

[15] "Cамые невероятные вбросы, когда-либо снятые на видео". tvrain.ru. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.

[pr1-16] "И пусть нам приснится "карусель"..." Pravda.RU. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

[17] "Иосиф Дискин: Никаких доказательств существования "каруселей" не выявлено". Pravda.RU. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

[18] "Федоров: Не все нарушения подтверждаются". Pravda.RU. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

[19] "Краткое заявление ассоциации "ГОЛОС" по итогам наблюдения хода выборов Президента России, назначенных на 4 марта 2012 г." 4 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.

[Irregularities-20] Russia elections: Vladimir Putin admits "possible irregularities", Telegraph, retrieved 11/3/2012

[21] ttp://www.tportal.hr/vijesti/svijet/181183/Nisam-vidjela-nepravilnosti-u-Rusiji.html | In Croatian

[22] "Мы не признаем выборы!". kprf.ru. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.

[Arbat-23] 1 2 Moscow protest: opposition call for civil rights campaign against Vladimir Putin after his election victory, Telegraph, retrieved 11/3/2012

[vz-provocation-24] Провокация вместо марша vz.ru

[Russian_police_battle_anti-Putin_protesters-25] "Russian police battle anti-Putin protesters". Reuters. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.

[26] СК пересчитал пострадавших полицейских во время "Марша миллионов" Lenta.ru

[Inauguration_protests-27] 1 2 Parfitt, Tom (7 May 2012). "Vladimir Putin inauguration shows how popularity has crumbled". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 May 2012.

[28] "Over 10 million roubles spent for presidential elections in RF – CEC", ITAR Tass, 12 May 2012.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

v t e Elections and referendums in Russia
Presidential elections	1991 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2018 2024 2030
Legislative elections	1906 1907 (Jan) 1907 (Oct) 1912 1917 1921 1938 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1980 1985 1990 1993 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 2026
Gubernatorial elections	1991–92 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004–05 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Regional elections	1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Referendums	1991 1993 (Apr) 1993 (Dec) 2020
See also: By-elections to the State Duma

v t e Candidates in the 2012 Russian presidential election
Winner	Vladimir Putin (United Russia) campaign
Other candidates	Gennady Zyuganov (Communist Party) campaign Mikhail Prokhorov (Independent) campaign Vladimir Zhirinovsky (LDPR) campaign Sergey Mironov (A Just Russia)