A West Australian councillor has endorsed and congratulated Vladimir Putin on his election win during a bizarre appearance on Russian state television.
In a video published on Russian state media, Port Hedland man Adrian McRae congratulated Mr Putin on his “transparent and comprehensive” victory.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A West Australian councillor has endorsed and congratulated Vladimir Putin on his election win during a bizarre appearance on Russian state television.
In a video published on Russian state media, Port Hedland man Adrian McRae congratulated Mr Putin on his “transparent and comprehensive” victory.
Western leaders have condemned the election which saw Mr Putin claim a 87.28 per cent share of the vote – as undemocratic, citing widespread voter intimidation and polling conducted in areas of occupied Ukraine.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the result was an “insult to democracy”, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the vote could only be described as “undemocratic”.
Mr McRae ran as a candidate in the seat of Durack for The Great Australian Party, founded by former WA senator and noted conspiracy theorist Rod Culleton, at the 2022 federal election.
Resources industry and global affairs commentator Philip Kirchlechner said the town was a place of economic and political significance.
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