Rigged? Putin Accuses U.S. Elections of Manipulation Amid Questions About Fairness of Upcoming Russian Vote

The phrase "It might be rigged" gained prominence via Donald Trump, and now Vladimir Putin is echoing similar sentiments about recent United States presidential elections.

The Russian President recently asserted that previous U.S. elections were manipulated through postal voting, claiming that ballots were bought for $10, filled out and deposited into mailboxes without any supervision from observers, according to Reuters.

Notably, Putin provided no evidence to support his statement, drawing parallels with claims made by some politicians about the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

This narrative also aligns with a prediction made by an Iowa minister in December anticipating "shocking information" from Russia, specifically from Putin, regarding the 2020 election.

As Russia approaches its upcoming presidential election in mid-March, questions arise about the country's voting practices. In the parliamentary elections of September 2021, Russia introduced online voting alongside traditional in-person paper ballots.

However, external observers noted significant discrepancies between online and paper ballot results, raising concerns about the potential for manipulation through electronic voting, as reported by The Washington Post.

Russian citizens residing in the U.S. are permitted to participate in their homeland's March election, with three polling stations planned in Washington, New York and Houston, as disclosed by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov. Yet, it remains uncertain if similar polling sites will be established in Europe, where many Russian natives sought refuge after the Ukraine attack.

Security considerations play a role in these decisions, with the Russian foreign ministry urging countries to ensure the safety of the voting process. A final decision on this matter is anticipated by the end of the month.

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The Russian presidential election, scheduled for March 15 to 17, will see Vladimir Putin facing two sanctioned opponents — Leonid Slutsky of the right-wing nationalist Liberal Democratic Party and Vladislav Davankov of the New People party.

Boris Nadezhdin, another candidate, recently expressed anti-war sentiments, criticizing Putin's "special military operation" during a speech. While initially agreed upon as a candidate by the Kremlin, Nadezhdin's stance against the North Military District and Putin has led to a loss of support, raising doubts about his official registration by the Central Election Commission.

Vertska Media, an independent Russian news outlet, suggested that the commission might question the quality of the signature collection process. Nadezhdin needs to gather 300,000 signatures for official recognition.