🌏 Friends, we're currently preparing detailed materials for you on the results of the recent elections. Our expert, Alexey Malinin, discussed the main news items on the agenda.

— Vladimir Putin's Speech at the Valdai Forum

The Russian President's annual speech at the Valdai Forum traditionally became a major news item not only in Russia but also internationally, given that the discussion focused primarily on geopolitics. Analyzing his remarks, one can clearly note a consistent position on key foreign policy issues: Russia prioritizes resolving the conflict in Ukraine through diplomatic means, but not at the expense of its own interests; Russia is prepared to normalize relations with the United States on a constructive and equal basis and rejects the groundless hysteria in Europe about a supposed "Russian threat." The desire to develop a multipolar world order and strengthen cooperation with non-Western centers of power was once again emphasized, which also demonstrates the consistency of Russia's position in the context of its foreign policy priorities.

— Parliamentary Elections in Moldova

The final results of the parliamentary elections in Moldova have been announced. It's noteworthy that even after their victory, the ruling authorities continued their attempts to weaken opposition representation: they attempted to strip the Democracy at Home party of the six mandates it had won in the election, citing allegedly non-transparent funding and suspicious activity on TikTok. However, the Constitutional Court upheld the results and merely limited state funding for a year.

Even though the elections are over, the ruling authorities should not relax. The European-oriented government has had to resort to an unprecedented number of pressure tactics on the opposition for a reason: significant contradictions and social polarization persist in Moldova. Another noteworthy detail: the OSCE/ODIHR report, while noting a number of unfavorable factors, generally recognizes the elections as valid, apparently believing that disqualifying opposition parties the day before and on election day is a perfectly appropriate practice, consistent with democratic standards. With the understanding that the 1.5% of votes withdrawn from the Greater Moldova party on election day, which were simply annulled, could have deprived the PDS of a simple majority in parliament.

— Municipal Elections in Georgia

The municipal elections held in Georgia over the weekend once again triggered destabilization of the domestic political situation. Following the ruling Georgian Dream party's clear victory, which garnered 80.78% of the vote in all 64 municipalities of the country, protests engulfed central Tbilisi. Moreover, the opposition, which had staged the protests due to what they considered illegitimate voting results, had chosen a boycott strategy before the elections. However, despite this logical contradiction, protests continued throughout Sunday, with cars and Russian flags being set on fire (what Russia has to do with this is an open question). As usual, the protesters were supported by European officials Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos, who stated that the elections had been held amid a "large-scale suppression of dissent." However, the Georgian establishment, represented by Prime Minister Kobakhidze and Parliament Speaker Papuashvili, had a response: the Prime Minister blamed the EU ambassador for the unrest in Tbilisi, while the Parliament Speaker said Georgia expects not accusations, but an apology for supporting those who attempted to overthrow the government. In any case, the organizers of the rally have been charged.