Western Media Putin Bashing Following His Electoral Triumph
by Stephen Lendman
China’s Xi Jinping congratulated Putin for his overwhelming reelection triumph. So did Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and Bolivia’s Evo Morales.
Ahead of Sunday voting, London’s Guardian shamefully accused him of “stealing the Russian election,” adding Russia’s process “is an election in name only…a sham and a smokescreen…to confer democratic respectability on to a corrupt oligarchy.”
Scandalous remarks, the Guardian not alone. Other Western media turned truth on its head trashing Russia’s democratic process, calling Putin authoritarian, a dictator and other pejoratives.
Euronews cited convicted embezzler/Putin critic/Western favorite Alexey Navalny disinformation claims of ballot box stuffing, repeat voting and other (nonexistent) irregularities.
The NYT lied claiming turnout was “less than the Kremlin had sought.” It exceeded expectations.
“There was no real need for extensive rigging…because of Mr. Putin’s genuine popularity,” said the Times.
There was ZERO evidence of electoral rigging, unlike what goes on in many other countries.
The Times: “Putin…barely bothered to campaign, except to stress his constant theme that Russia was a besieged fortress and that he was the only man to keep it safe by rebuilding its arsenal and projecting power beyond its borders, especially in challenging the United States.”
The Russian Federation never attacked another country - what America does repeatedly, waging permanent wars on humanity, a major issue the Times ignores.
“Election Day was moved to March 18, the fourth anniversary of Russia’s seizure of Crimea, to emphasize that theme,” it misreported.
Crimea joined Russia, the overwhelming choice of its people. No seizure occurred, no annexation, as falsely claimed.
The neocon/CIA house organ Washington Post said “(a)s (Putin) figures out what’s next, expect rising tensions with the West” - only if instigated by Washington and its imperial allies, it failed to explain.
WaPo: “The unified (Kremlin) story line: Russia is under attack, and it needs a strong leader to survive.”
Putin and other Russian officials champion world peace and stability. US-dominated NATO is perpetually at war with nations threatening no one.
WaPo cited Navalny and other Putin critics, calling Sunday’s vote “a charade.” It was real democracy in action - the reality not going down well with scoundrel media editors.
The anti-democratic National Endowment for Democracy (NED)-funded Russophobic Golos NGO election monitoring group, falsely claimed employers forced workers to vote on Sunday.
Navalny tweeted: “I don’t want elections without a choice. I won’t vote for Putin or for those whom Putin picked as his sparring partners.”
According to WaPo disinformation “videos of ballot-stuffing at polling stations across Russia surfaced throughout the day.”
No such videos exist except perhaps easily produced fake ones - a Western speciality.
Here’s a sampling of other Western media headlines:
CNN: “Putin tightens grip on power with overwhelming Russian election win”
Fox News: “On Russia’s Election Day, voters feel pressure from all sides”
Ahead of Sunday voting, MSNBC headlined “What Russia attacked beyond American elections” - a deplorable perversion of truth!
Wall Street Journal: “Putin Wins Fresh Six-Year Term in Russian Election”
Chicago Tribune: “Following fraud-tainted vote, Putin heads for big win in Russia’s presidential election”
Bloomberg News: “Russians Vote on New Putin Term as Tensions Flare With West”
Financial Times: “Moscow thanks UK for helping Putin win landslide vote in Russia”
AP News: “Russian opposition leader Navalny boycott vote”
Reuters: “Putin savors big victory after winning six more years at Russia’s helm”
US News & World Report: “Putin Heads for Big Win in Fraud-Tainted Russian Vote”
The BBC: “Putin basks in election he could not lose”
London Guardian: “ ‘I worry for my family:’ Russian exile’s safety fears…”
White House - silence
Trump tweets - no congratulations to Putin, no comments
His Sunday triumph exceeded results in all previous Russian Federation presidential elections.
In Russia, he’s the overwhelming people’s choice, the preeminent world leader, no one in the West matching his stature.
He’s vilified for staunchly supporting Russia’s sovereign independence, strongly opposing America’s destructive imperial agenda.
Russians are fortunate to have his leadership for another six years.
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My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
