European Parliament calls for considering Putin’s “election” illegitimate

On April 25, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the presidential election in Russia. The European Parliament called these elections undemocratic and deemed the holding of the elections in the occupied territories illegitimate.

493 members of the European Parliament supported the resolution, while 11 opposed it and 18 abstained.

The Russian presidential elections had no legitimacy

In the resolution, the European Parliament calls for sanctions against those involved in organizing and holding illegal elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The MEPs label the Russian “elections” as a “farce” and implore EU member states and the international community to reject the results, citing their holding in the occupied territories of Ukraine and their lack of freedom and fairness in Russia.

Elections in the illegally occupied territories of Ukraine are not legitimate

The document states that the Russian elections, held in the illegally occupied territories of Ukraine, were neither free nor fair, did not meet basic international electoral standards, and therefore lacked democratic legitimacy.

The MEPs emphasized that holding elections in the occupied territories was a gross violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and that local residents were “forced to vote in the presence of armed Russian soldiers.”

The parliamentarians emphasized that the sole purpose of this imitation of the voting process was to legitimize Putin’s continued power, internal repression, and war against Ukraine.

The text separately expressed regret that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had deviated from the EU’s common foreign policy line and congratulated Putin on his “victory.” 

European Parliament calls on the EU members to limit contacts with Putin’s Russia

MEPs call on EU countries to limit relations with Putin’s Russia to issues that are necessary for regional security or related to humanitarian and human rights protection, such as the exchange of prisoners, the release of political prisoners, or the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia. 

“Members of the European Parliament call on the EU and its Member States to continue to actively support independent Russian civil society organizations, independent media, and human rights defenders, as well as to actively engage with and offer support to the Russian democratic opposition,” the communiqué says.

Note that European Parliament resolutions express their position on a specific issue but are not binding.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe also failed to recognize Vladimir Putin’s legitimacy. In its resolution, the PACE called Russia a dictatorship under Putin’s rule and proposed tough measures against the Russian authorities.

In an official statement, the European Union criticized the Russian “presidential elections” as being held with numerous restrictions, without the participation of a real opposition, and including in the occupied territories of Ukraine.