Putin on Truss' victory: UK elections far from democracy

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Sep 2022 12:13
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Russian President Vladimir Putin slams the UK electoral process as undemocratic, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accuses the new UK PM of being "inherently anti-Russia".

Russian President Vladimir Putin

The system for electing a leader in the United Kingdom is contrary to democratic norms, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday in response to Liz Truss' election as Prime Minister.

"In the UK, the procedure for electing the head of state is far from democratic principles. It takes place within the framework of the party that won the previous parliamentary elections. The people of the UK are not involved in this case in the change of government. The ruling elite there has its own attitudes," Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

Truss inherently anti-Russian, Lavrov says

Incoming British Prime Minister Liz Truss has a pre-existing negative attitude toward Russia, yet under the current conditions it would be more important for London to sort out relations with its closest neighbors, including France, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with Thailand’s visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Don Pramudwinai, in Moscow on Tuesday.

"I believe that Liz Truss still has a higher priority: before she finally formulates her attitude to Russia, which is patently negative, she will have to sort out relations with the [UK’s] near neighbors, for one, to make up her mind about who French President, Emmanuel Macron, is - a friend or a foe. This question is still up in the air. It remains unanswered. I believe that it would be more important for the two neighbors to deal with this first than to cast their eyes far beyond their borders," Lavrov said.

"She (Truss) has her own principles, primarily, adherence to a hard line in defending Britain’s interests without any wish to take into account the position of others or to make any compromises," Lavrov said.

"I don’t think that this will help to maintain or strengthen that country’s stance on the international stage, which has clearly been dented after Brexit. Now London has for a long time been actively trying to compensate for this loss of identity and of influence in the European Union by taking quite drastic steps, including aggressive actions regarding the situation that has developed around Ukraine. We all know this."

Liz Truss, who won the Tory leadership election, was named Prime Minister on Tuesday, succeeding Boris Johnson. Truss defeated former UK finance minister Rishi Sunak in an intra-party battle on Monday. Earlier today, Queen Elizabeth II approved Liz Truss' new cabinet formation.