Czech Republic condemns Russia's presidential election as undemocratic
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic released a statement on Monday regarding the presidential elections in Russia, stating that they were not conducted transparently or democratically.
8:17 AM EDT, March 18, 2024
Vladimir Putin has once again assumed leadership at the Kremlin. The elections, held from March 15-17 in the Russian Federation, are deemed unreliable by Western leaders.
On Monday morning, the Czech Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided a summary of the Russian presidential election. They highlighted that it occurred amidst the ongoing aggression against Ukraine and amid "systematic suppression of Russian civil society, destruction of independent media, and intimidation of the opposition.
"Several presidential candidates, particularly those opposing the aggression in Ukraine, were barred from running. Russian citizens lacked access to comprehensive and independent information and were unable to vote for candidates opposing the current regime. The Russian authorities also prevented the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observation mission from monitoring the election," the Czech foreign affairs department stated.
Furthermore, the statement from the Czechs underlined that Prague does not acknowledge the legitimacy of these "illegal electoral farce" held in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions—territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia. "The occupation of these territories breaches the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, contravening the United Nations Charter and international law principles," the Czech diplomacy asserted.
The Czechs reject Putin's electoral charade as an "Illegal farce"
The statement highlighted that Russia's objective is once again to legitimize the outcomes of its aggressive stance towards Ukraine. These maneuvers contravene international law and infringe on the sovereignty of other nations.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote, "We condemn the 'elections' in the occupied territories of Ukraine. It’s another manifestation of Russian aggression against Ukraine." They criticized the recent elections in Russia as "pseudo-elections" lacking democratic and transparent conduct.
