A solid “mandate of trust”: 76 million people voted for Vladimir Putin’s fifth presidential term

According to the results of the presidential election held in Russia on March 17, 2024, more than 76 million people voted for the current head of state Vladimir Putin (87% of those who took part in the vote); this is almost twofold greater than in his first presidential election (on March 26, 2000, 40 million, or 53% of the voters who participated in the election, voted for Vladimir Putin). The article analyzes reasons for such a solid “mandate of trust” that the President obtained; they include not only the support of the majority of Russians for the general course of national development implemented by Vladimir Putin, but also the specifics of the historical period during which the 2024 presidential election was held, as well as the results of voting on the territory of the new RF constituent entities that joined Russia after the 2014 coup in Ukraine. In the context of the ongoing special military operation and lingering threats to national security, the internal situation in Russia, which determines popular support for the President, is of particular importance. In this regard, we draw attention to the importance of effective (full-fledged and timely) implementation of the election promises of the head of state, which Vladimir Putin announced in his Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on February 29, 2024. The fulfiilment of the tasks set by the President for the period up to 2030 largely depends on the elites in the system of public administration; therefore, at the beginning of a new political cycle and Vladimir Putin’s fifth presidential term (2024-2030) a lot will depend on the new Government of the Russian Federation, whose composition will be announced in May 2024, after the presidential inauguration. With the help of expert assessments, statistical data and the results of sociological surveys we analyze reasons for the incomplete fulfillment of instructions and tasks that Vladimir Putin outlined in his previous election speeches, and in relation to the current situation we conclude that the key conditions for further implementation of the national development course are the achievement of all the goals of the special military operation and the continuation of the process of nationalization of the elites. The article presents calculations based on official data of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the results of the presidential elections of 2024 and 2018 in all constituent entities and federal districts of the Russian Federation. We analyze the allRussian dynamics of turnout and voting results in ah presidential elections in Russia for the period from 2000 to 2024. We make an overview of expert assessments regarding the work of the RF Government headed by M.V. Mishustin. The facts showing the presence of acute unresolved problems in the system of public administration are collected and systematized in key areas of national development.