Kremlin Wages Culture War to Rally Putin’s Voters at Election
- Campaign focuses on fight with ‘liberal’ West as war goes on
- Putin is likely to seek new six-year term in March 17 election
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The Kremlin is rallying support for Vladimir Putin’s election to a fifth presidential term by pitching him as the defender of traditional Russian values against the “liberal” West, as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.
That’s translating into harsher persecution of LGBT people, growing calls for restrictions on abortion, pressure on women to focus on childbirth instead of careers and efforts to boost patriotic education in schools in an effort to rally Russians behind Putin’s candidacy. He’s widely expected shortly to declare he’s running for another six-year term after Russian lawmakers on Thursday announced the election will be held on March 17, 2024.