UCL-CER Roundtable on Russia’s Presidential Election

On 10 April, the European Institute and the Centre for European Reform (CER) co-convened a hybrid discussion on the recent Russian presidential election. The event was the second of our newly launched work-stream on European security, led by Dr Ben Noble at UCL SSEES and Ian Bond at CER, as part of our Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence grant 2023-26.

After emphasising the performative nature of the 2024 presidential election as a tool for Putin to signal authority to Russia’s elites, state officials, and the general population, discussion focused on the prospects for his upcoming term in office. A significant degree of continuity appears likely, with a sustained focus on the war in Ukraine and maintaining stability domestically. As part of a likely further crackdown on domestic opposition, emphasis was also placed on Putin’s instrumentalisation of the ‘traditional values’ agenda, including increased repression of Russia’s LGBTQI+ population.

With an extreme concentration of power and resources, with very few checks and balances, there are few prospects for a shift of authority from Vladimir Putin in the near term. The deinstitutionalised landscape does, however, risk creating a period of chaos in a post-Putin Russia.

On questions of European security, discussion emphasised the importance of sustained and strengthened economic and military support for Ukraine, the need to remain vigilant against Russian interference in Western democratic processes, and the importance of maintaining channels of communication for de-escalation.

This event was the second of three roundtables scheduled to take place as part of our work-stream on European security with the Centre for European Reform, under our current Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence Programme.