2004 presidential election in Russia
The 2004 presidential election in Russia took place on March 14th and was dominated by the incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin .
His five opponents were largely unknown, so a great victory for the incumbent was expected. The only concern of those in power was that the voter turnout was too low, because if the rate was below 50%, the election would have been invalid. Around noon, the election control in Moscow announced that, in good weather, the turnout would be higher than in the parliamentary elections in December 2003 .
According to the preliminary official final result, 71.2 percent of the voters voted for the incumbent. Nikolai Kharitonov, the candidate nominated by the Communists, received 15 percent. 4.1 percent of the voters voted “against all candidates” in a special feature of the Russian electoral law.
In Chechnya , under massive security measures, 93% of the electorate voted for Putin, according to the Central Electoral Commission , and the turnout was over 90%.
The OSCE's top election observer , Julian Peel Yates, criticized the elections as only partially democratic. The Chairman of the OSCE Observer Commission missed the " principles necessary for a healthy electoral process ". A political argument in advance did not take place either; Putin's opponents had made access to the mass media very difficult. The then US Secretary of State Colin Powell ( George W. Bush Cabinet ) expressed concern about " the level of authoritarian behavior " and said on election day about the lack of equal opportunities for candidates in the media that in democratic terms the government could " do a better job " .
At the same time as the first interim result became known at 7:30 p.m., a cultural exhibition complex in Moscow with over 2,000 square meters in the ring next to the Kremlin caught fire. Two firefighters were killed in a collapsing roof.
Candidates
Wladimir Putin
Ivan Rybkin
After his brief disappearance, Ivan Rybkin withdrew his candidacy on March 5.
Nikolai Kharitonov
Communist Party candidate ( KPRF ).
Its central political goal is the restoration of the Soviet Union with socialism as its political and economic system. Kharitonov is a colonel in the FSB domestic secret service and an avowed fan of Felix Dzerzhinsky , the notorious founder of the Cheka (forerunner of the Soviet secret service KGB ). In 2000, Kharitonov stood out when he called for the restoration of the Dzerzhinsky monument on Lubyanka Square in front of the FSB building in Moscow.
Oleg Malyshkin
Candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDPR ).
Sergei Glazyev
Sergei Glasjew stood as a candidate for the Rodina electoral alliance .
Sergei Mironov
Sergei Mironov took office as chairman of the Federation Council and belonged to the Russian Party of Life . He repeatedly cited his desire for a renewed and extended term of office of Putin as the motivation for his candidacy. He repeatedly called for the election of the incumbent president.
Irina Chakamada
Union of Right Forces (SPS). As an economically liberal party, this party is supported by Russian oligarchs .
Election result
| candidate | Number of votes | % of votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wladimir Putin | 49,558,328 | 71.31 | |
| Nikolai Kharitonov | 9,514,554 | 13.69 | |
| Sergei Glazyev | 2,850,610 | 4.10 | |
| Irina Chakamada | 2,672,189 | 3.85 | |
| Oleg Malyshkin | 1,405,326 | 2.02 | |
| Sergei Mironov | 524,332 | 0.75 | |
| "Against all" | 2,397,140 | 3.45 | |
| 69.501.326 | 100.00 | ||
