BANGKOK, March 20. /TASS/. The failure of Western attempts to undermine the Russian economy has contributed to Vladimir Putin's success in winning a resounding re-election victory in Russia’s presidential election, Thai political analyst Jiraporn Ruampongpattana told a TASS correspondent.
According to the political analyst, after the start of the special military operation, "despite considerable Western pressure, the Russian economy continued to grow rapidly, which is intriguing from an economic point of view." "There is reason to believe that the Russian economy is resilient. This has contributed to Putin's popularity as it demonstrates his ability to resist Western attempts to undermine the Russian economy. Thailand is still experiencing the same effects [from anti-Russian sanctions], just as many other countries," she said.
"Initially, Thailand, like many other countries, expected a downturn in Russia's economy, but it has grown despite Western sanctions, including the freezing of $300 bln in assets. This shows increased cooperation between countries in trade and economy. These sanctions are not applied universally around the world, as Russia continues to trade freely with countries such as China, India, Brazil and Thailand," the expert emphasized.
Voting in the Russian presidential election took place over three days on March 15-17. The e-voting system was available in about one-third of Russian regions. With 100% of ballots counted, incumbent President Vladimir Putin garnered 87.28% of the vote, according to data from the Central Election Commission. The turnout of 77.44% was the highest ever in Russia’s modern history. Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) nominee Nikolay Kharitonov came in second with 4.31% of the vote, followed by New People party nominee Vladislav Davankov (3.85%). Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) nominee Leonid Slutsky was in fourth place with 3.2% of the vote.