Yesterday, March 17, the three-day presidential elections in the Russian Federation came to an end. Moreover, polling stations were operating not only in Russia but also in many countries abroad, including “unfriendly” ones. Despite the fact that in some cities abroad the voting period was shortened (for example, in Prague, Russians could only participate in the elections on March 15), the last days proved to be eventful, and the course of voting outside the country brought less expected results compared to local ones.
Elections-2024: How did it go abroad?
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, more than 372 thousand people voted abroad, as stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on Channel One. “The numbers are unprecedented,” she said (quote from TASS), noting that at some polling stations there was “huge excitement, which was also stimulated by the fact that in unfriendly countries, a number of consulates were closed.” As an example, Zakharova cited Germany, “where people stood literally until night.”
Her words are partially confirmed by reports that in Berlin, they promised to extend the polling station’s working hours by an hour, but in the end, the embassy closed earlier. Because of this, more than 500 people remained in line, unable to cast their votes. A similar situation occurred in Belgrade, where hundreds of people remained in the street, standing in line for several hours and still not being able to participate in the elections. They requested an extension of the voting time and chanted “Extend!” and “Russia without Putin.” A consulate employee in Riga informed people on the street that the station would close at 21:10, although there had been information about the consulate’s continued operation “until the last voter.” As a result, dozens of people remained on the street, many of whom had been waiting for several hours.
However, in some countries, voting in the presidential elections was extended due to the large number of voters. For example, the polling station in Paris was open until 10:00 PM, the Russian consulate in Almaty also closed its doors only at 9:00 PM, and in Yerevan, the station continued to operate until 11:00 PM. These measures allowed many people to express their views on the elections, despite the long wait: for example, those who queued at the polling booths at 1:00 PM in Yerevan had to wait 9 hours, and in The Hague (Netherlands), the line of voters stretched for about a kilometer and moved extremely slowly. Reports of long queues also came from Bern (Switzerland), Tallinn (Estonia), Vienna (Austria), Dubai (UAE), Phuket (Thailand), Sofia (Bulgaria), Haifa (Israel), and other cities.