Commenting on the Russian presidential election’s result, ALDE Party President Hans van Baalen MEP said: 

“[T]he result is not at all surprising, nobody suspected anything else. This is the latest in a series of ‘elections’ in Russia in which the democratic opposition forces are prevented from participating fairly, face restrictions and measures during their campaigns, or even prevented from running at all as we saw with Alexei Navalny. In a country that claims to be democratic, this is another façade election that delivers yet another disservice to the Russian people.”

“European liberals have long condemned and lamented the deconstruction of Russian democracy under the reign of Vladimir Putin, the eradication of the multi-party system and the reprisals against the opposition forces include our ALDE Party member parties. We remain fervently opposed to the continued illegal occupation of the Crimean Peninsula and the ongoing destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine.”

“European liberals will remain steadfast and committed to support civil society and the development of genuine democracy in Russia. Russian citizens deserve better.”

“I would like to pay special tribute to Grigory Yavlinsky of our ALDE member party Yabloko, who despite challenging political conditions, conducted a defiant, spirited and positive campaign but won just 1.01% of the vote.”