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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hasn't been seen in public since he was quoted nearly three weeks ago as saying that Russia's presidential election is "not really democracy" and forecasted a 90 percent victory for Vladimir Putin next year.
"Our presidential election is not really democracy, it is costly bureaucracy," Peskov told The New York Times in an article published on August 6. "Mr. Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90 percent of the vote."
Russia's 2024 presidential election is expected to be held on March 17 next year. Putin is expected to soon announce his bid for a sixth overall presidential term. Per constitutional changes made prior to the war in Ukraine, Putin may remain in power until 2036.
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Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels were quick to point out that Peskov has not held press briefings or provided comment to the media since his remarks. His last briefing was on August 4, two days before his comments were published by The Times, local media reported.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
On the day of publication, state-run media cited Peskov as saying that his remarks had been misinterpreted and misreported.
"The author of the article interpreted [my words] in an absolutely wrong way," Peskov told state-run news agency Tass, adding that he had met and spoken to the author of the report, and answered a question about the upcoming presidential election.
"And the answer was the following: the level of consolidation around the president is absolutely unprecedented and it can be said now that if he runs [for president], he will be reelected by an overwhelming majority, and the election."
Peskov said he told The Times that "the president insisted that the election be organized without fail, that this is what democracy requires."
He also told Russia's RBC news website that "although elections are a requirement of democracy and Putin himself has decided to hold them, theoretically it's possible not to hold them."
"Because it's already obvious that Putin will be elected," he said, noting that his statement is "absolutely [my] personal opinion."
Meanwhile, a Telegram channel owned by Russian TV anchor Ksenia Sobchak suggested that Peskov is currently on vacation.
"Calm down. Peskov on vacation. Said he would be back in 2 days," a post on the channel on Monday said.
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