“Noon against Putin”, the opposition calls to participate in a protest operation on Sunday

The presidential election began on Friday in Russia and is scheduled to last until Sunday. The opposition to Vladimir Putin is calling on voters to take part in an operation on Sunday to denounce the Kremlin’s policies.

“Noon against Putin.” This is the name of the operation carried out by the opposition during the presidential election, which began Friday March 15 and will last until Sunday. On the last day, Vladimir Putin’s opponents call on their allies to all go to the polls at the same time, noon. The goal : “Count us and see that we are numerous and strong”, explains Yulia Navalnaïa, the widow of Alexeï Navalny, a critic of the Kremlin who died in prison in mid-February. The idea, originally launched by a former opposition councilor in St. Petersburg, is for large queues to form in front of polling stations, synonymous with protest.

This operation is a safe and safe way to protest against the Kremlin and this completely blocked ballot, says the opposition. The outcome of the vote is beyond doubt, Vladimir Putin is assured of being re-elected. There are only four candidates this year, which is exceptionally few. The Kremlin has eliminated all liberal candidates and Vladimir Putin’s three competitors (the ultranationalist Leonid Slutsky, Nikolai Kharitonov, from the Communist Party, and Vladislav Davankov, pro-business, the most moderate fringe of the regime) have no opponents than the name. Unable to express one’s voice at the polls, since there is no candidate who can more or less represent the liberal opposition, the latter therefore imagined the “Noon against Putin” operation.

The government is trying to obstruct the operation

This operation is not to the liking of the Russian authorities, who are trying to hinder it. “We are obliged to vote at certain times, in certain places. I will be obliged to vote on the first day so I will not be able to follow the advice of the opposition”, says Anastasia, a Muscovite who works in an administration. She will have to present her voting receipt on Monday at work.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office also issued a warning on Thursday, saying it saw signs of extremism behind the operation and that prosecutions could take place. At some universities, students were warned that they would be excluded if they were seen voting around noon on Sunday.