‘Noon against Putin’: Russian citizens protest in Bern and Geneva

Russians living in Switzerland gather in front of the Russian embassy in Bern to cast their vote during the Russian presidential elections and simultaneously protest against President Putin. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / MARTIAL TREZZINI

On the last day of the Russian presidential election, more than a thousand Russians protested against incumbent Vladimir Putin in Bern and Geneva on Sunday. The "noon against Putin" protest was organised by the Future Russia - Switzerland association.

The queue in front of the Russian embassy in Bern was several hundred metres long, as a reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency reported. Around 400 Russian citizens also queued outside the Consulate General in Geneva. The call from Future Russia – Switzerland was addressed to “all those who disagree with Putin’s policies and are against war and injustice”, as stated on the website.

People could vote in different ways at the polling station. They could vote for any candidate except Putin, spoil the ballot paper by choosing two different candidates or take it with them. What the Russian authorities feared most was the obviousness “that we are the majority”, the organisation continued.

Putin’s lie about the majority

The success of the appeal proves that Putin does not have the majority of the Russian population behind him, Polina Petushkova, board member of Future Russia – Switzerland, told the Keystone-SDA news agency. Even she herself was impressed. The association has existed in Zurich for two years. Prior to that, there had been activities in Geneva since 2015.

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In the last presidential election in Russia six years ago, only around 900 Russians citizens eligible to vote in all of Switzerland took part in the election. Today, approximately 16,000 Russians live in Switzerland.

To be able to provide their own figures for comparison to the official figures, several helpers from the Future Russia – Switzerland association counted the people in the queues in Bern and Geneva on Sunday.

Election boycott worldwide

Around the world, thousands of Russian citizens went to their embassies at lunchtime on Sunday to protest against Putin. Even in Russia, hundreds of people in various cities expressed their displeasure at the election farce with disruptive actions. They responded to a call from Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of opposition activist Alexei Navalny, who recently died in a Siberian prison.

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The presidential election in Russia does not fulfil democratic standards and is neither free nor fair. The election is considered not free and fair in the West because no candidates critical of the Kremlin and opposed to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine were allowed to stand for election. Election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were also not allowed to take part.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/amva

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