March 17th, 2024 concluded the election of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Long before the elections took place it was clear that they would be neither fair nor democratic, that the outcome was predictable, and that there would be no possibility of contesting the results. "Elections" were also held in the occupied and annexed territories of Ukraine, where all voting is invalid under international law. In Russia, it is currently impossible to take to the streets for any demonstrations, rallies are not authorized, and propaganda claims that the incumbent president has ratings exceeding 80 percent. In reality, it is impossible to assess whether these data correspond to reality.
The action called "Noon against Putin" was organized to prove that there is a significant number of people among the population who are ready to vote for candidates other than Putin. The essence of the action, supported by Russian opposition members in Russia and abroad, was to go to the voting station at exactly noon on the last day of the election in order to show that Putin does not have universal support, that there are actually a great many people who want a change of power and an end to the war. This was primarily conceived for voters living in Russia, where no rallies are currently agreed upon, where there is no opportunity to openly express one's opinion. But the action was picked up in many countries around the world where there are voting stations. In particular, in Bern and Geneva, lines of more than a thousand people lined up at noon. Some people who arrived at noon or shortly after noon had to stand for almost five hours.
Activists from the community "Future Russia — Switzerland" together with the independent project "Vote Abroad" organized exit polls, which also involved volunteers from other backgrounds. The results of the exit polls in Geneva and Bern showed an interesting distribution of votes: in Geneva only 20% for Putin, in Bern 16%.
The official results from the Central Election Commission declared Vladimir Putin's victory with a huge margin of 87% of the vote. However, no one expected that this action "Noon against Putin" would change the election results.
Want to know how to contribute to the fight against Putinism? Here are 3 easy options:
Tell your friends about us so they don't think that all Russians agree with Putin and are keeping silent
Ask your local deputy what he or she is doing to block Putin's funding and support initiatives by democratically-minded Russians, such as securing protection for the persecuted in Russia
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