Russian emb. in France slams lack of security measures on voting polls
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French authorities addressed the embassy's security request "quite late" and failed to establish a continuous police presence at the polling stations across France.
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A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a presidential election in Mariupol in Russian-controlled Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (AP)
French authorities have failed to establish adequate security measures for conducting Russia's presidential election in the country, Alexey Popov, the secretary of a precinct election commission at the Russian Embassy in France, said on Sunday.
According to Popov, the absence of organized field voting was due to the inability to guarantee its safety.
"This year, French authorities provided security in a very limited way. Also, this year, the field voting was not organized, since it is impossible to ensure its safety. Unfortunately, the situation today does not allow us to do what we could afford to do before," Popov told reporters.
He further noted that French authorities addressed the embassy's security request "quite late" and failed to establish a continuous police presence at the polling stations across France.
"A police post is set up in Paris, and at other polling stations they are limited to more or less regular raids, but not the permanent police presence. So the security leaves much to be desired," Popov said.
Over 3,000 individuals in France are anticipated to participate in the Russian presidential election on Sunday, he added.
Read more: 70.81% voter turnout in Russia; elections proceeding smoothly
Russia's presidential elections are being helf from 15–17 March 2024. The country's incumbent president Vladimir Putin is planning to run for another six-year term.
He is currently facing competition from Leonid Slutsky, who chairs the international affairs committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament, as well as Nikolai Kharitonov, chair of the house's Far East and Arctic development committee, and Vladislav Davankov, the house's deputy speaker.
It is likely that the neglect of security measures is intentional, as it may be indicative of a russophobic agenda. Some countries have explicitly enforced stringent measures on voters.
For instance, police authorities in Latvia on Monday announced plans to conduct background checks on Russian citizens submitting their votes in the presidential election at the embassy in Riga. The purpose is to ensure they possess valid residency permits, and if necessary, deport them.
They also announced plans to monitor individuals queuing to vote for any signs of "endorsing the war in Ukraine", which could, due to the vague nature of the statement, even include voicing or displaying support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In response to these measures, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev issued a warning to Latvians loyal to the President of Latvia, well-known for his strong anti-Russian stance, saying that "retribution is inevitable."
Various nazi bastards who wish death on Russia – like rinkēvičs, the president of a non-existent latvia – must remember the fate of the fascists, the 1943 Kharkov trial included. Retribution is inevitable. Memento mori! pic.twitter.com/PZ94OsnK24
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) March 15, 2024
On another note, Russian authorities have reported multiple instances of cyberattacks targeting polling stations.
Read more: 90K+ cyberattacks from Ukraine, N. America on elections portal: Russia
