٠٠:٠٣:٢٢German deputy government spokesperson Christiane Hoffman alleged that the Russian presidential election was 'neither free nor fair' - and was why she said Chancellor Olaf Scholz had not congratulated the expected winner - during the daily briefing in Berlin on Monday.
"We see this so-called election in Russia last weekend as neither free nor fair, the result was clearly already certain, in our opinion it was not a democratic election, no real opposing candidates were allowed," she claimed.
She also alleged that 'intimidation' and lack of 'freedom of expression' were present and that votes in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye - which Moscow said had joined Russia following 2022 referenda and Kiev described as annexation - were 'extremely problematic'.
Foreign office spokesperson Sebastian Fischer also hit out at the 'so-called sham presidential elections in Ukraine'.
"That is our assessment of this so-called election and that is why the Chancellor did not congratulate," Hoffman concluded.
She did admit that Scholz's administration was 'basically prepared to talk to Putin if it all makes sense' but that it 'is not on the agenda at the moment'.
Earlier, Russia's Election Commission reported 'record breaking' turnout in the elections and head of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) observer mission Zhang Ming stated that the voting was 'transparent, credible and democratic' with 'no violations of national legislation that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the elections'.
With over 99 percent of the vote counted, incumbent President Vladimir Putin had secured more than 87 percent, according to the election commission, while the other three candidates had less than five percent each.
Russia's presidential election took place over three days on March 15-17, with early voting between February 25 and March 14.
The four candidates were Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), the Communist Party's Nikolai Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and Putin, running as an independent candidate.
'So-called election neither free nor fair' - German govt on why Chancellor Scholz 'did not congratulate' Putin
German deputy government spokesperson Christiane Hoffman alleged that the Russian presidential election was 'neither free nor fair' - and was why she said Chancellor Olaf Scholz had not congratulated the expected winner - during the daily briefing in Berlin on Monday.
"We see this so-called election in Russia last weekend as neither free nor fair, the result was clearly already certain, in our opinion it was not a democratic election, no real opposing candidates were allowed," she claimed.
She also alleged that 'intimidation' and lack of 'freedom of expression' were present and that votes in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye - which Moscow said had joined Russia following 2022 referenda and Kiev described as annexation - were 'extremely problematic'.
Foreign office spokesperson Sebastian Fischer also hit out at the 'so-called sham presidential elections in Ukraine'.
"That is our assessment of this so-called election and that is why the Chancellor did not congratulate," Hoffman concluded.
She did admit that Scholz's administration was 'basically prepared to talk to Putin if it all makes sense' but that it 'is not on the agenda at the moment'.
Earlier, Russia's Election Commission reported 'record breaking' turnout in the elections and head of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) observer mission Zhang Ming stated that the voting was 'transparent, credible and democratic' with 'no violations of national legislation that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the elections'.
With over 99 percent of the vote counted, incumbent President Vladimir Putin had secured more than 87 percent, according to the election commission, while the other three candidates had less than five percent each.
Russia's presidential election took place over three days on March 15-17, with early voting between February 25 and March 14.
The four candidates were Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), the Communist Party's Nikolai Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and Putin, running as an independent candidate.
German deputy government spokesperson Christiane Hoffman alleged that the Russian presidential election was 'neither free nor fair' - and was why she said Chancellor Olaf Scholz had not congratulated the expected winner - during the daily briefing in Berlin on Monday.
"We see this so-called election in Russia last weekend as neither free nor fair, the result was clearly already certain, in our opinion it was not a democratic election, no real opposing candidates were allowed," she claimed.
She also alleged that 'intimidation' and lack of 'freedom of expression' were present and that votes in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye - which Moscow said had joined Russia following 2022 referenda and Kiev described as annexation - were 'extremely problematic'.
Foreign office spokesperson Sebastian Fischer also hit out at the 'so-called sham presidential elections in Ukraine'.
"That is our assessment of this so-called election and that is why the Chancellor did not congratulate," Hoffman concluded.
She did admit that Scholz's administration was 'basically prepared to talk to Putin if it all makes sense' but that it 'is not on the agenda at the moment'.
Earlier, Russia's Election Commission reported 'record breaking' turnout in the elections and head of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) observer mission Zhang Ming stated that the voting was 'transparent, credible and democratic' with 'no violations of national legislation that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the elections'.
With over 99 percent of the vote counted, incumbent President Vladimir Putin had secured more than 87 percent, according to the election commission, while the other three candidates had less than five percent each.
Russia's presidential election took place over three days on March 15-17, with early voting between February 25 and March 14.
The four candidates were Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), the Communist Party's Nikolai Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and Putin, running as an independent candidate.