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The president got 75% of the votes, his biggest electoral victory. The future of religious freedom for the evangelical minorities is very much dependent on the course of East-West relations.
Vladimir Putin will be president of Russia until 2024.
There has been no surprise in Russia: Putin has won the elections and will be the president until 2024.
He has even exceeded the 70% granted by the polls, reaching 75% of the vote. This is his biggest victory at the polls since he began to present his candidacy in 2000.
The difference is abysmal with its most direct opponents in these elections, which will remain limited to a practically residual representation compared to the strength of Putin's party, Russia United.
The communist and millionaire Pavel Grudinin (the main rival of the president) obtained 12% of the votes, while liberals Zhirinovski and Sobchak got 6% and 1.3% respectively.
MANY CONFLICTS TO FACE
Putin's new term begins with a lot pressure, with many fronts open.
The most recent comes after the death by poisoning of a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom.
Prime Minister, Theresa May, accused the Russian president of being involved in the event. May decided to expel 23 diplomats from London, and Moscow has responded by doing the same.
On the other hand, the conflict with Ukraine is still open and has been present in these elections. Iin the Russian embassy in Kiev, some people tried to obstruct the voting of the Russians living in Ukraine.
And there are also tensions in the Middle East. Russia militarily supports the regime of Bashar al-Ásad in Syria, a state that in turn is developing a confrontation with Turkey in the border territory.
Turkey has the political support of a significant part of the West, after having signed an agreementt with the European Union for the retention of the migratory population that goes to the continent.
REACTIONS OF THE RUSSIAN EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY
The Russian Evangelical Alliance (REA) already told Evangelical Focus and Spanish news website Protestante Digital that “religious freedom for the evangelical minorities is very much dependent on the course of East-West relations. If they get worse, so will relations between evangelicals and the state”.
On the other hand, the REA claims not to expect “anything good from any government” because, according to the Secretary General of the Alliance, Sergey Vdovin, “for more than 1,000 years evangelicals have been bathed in their own blood and suffering”.
In an era of polarized politics and dysfunctional governments, it is heartening to witness politicians act with courage, promptness, and moral clarity.
A summary of the sermon Lindsay Brown preached at Michael Green’s funeral on 2nd March, 2019.
Julia Doxat-Purser: 25 years of EEA office in Brussels
An interview with the socio-political representative of the European Evangelical Alliance about how evangelical Christians work at the heart of the European Union.
Lars Dahle: Nominal Christianity, a mission field for the church
An interview with Lars Dahle, of the Steering Committee of the Lausanne Movement Global Consultation on Nominal Christianity held in Rome.
Testimony: Wildfires near Athens
Nico Spies, a Christian worker in Athens, gives details about the wildfires in Greece.
Arie de Pater: Refugees deserve a fair and efficient process
The Brussels representative of the European Evangelical Alliance offers a Christian perspective on the crisis: “We can’t reduce people to just a number that needs to be controlled”.
Michael Ramsden: Communicating the Gospel in today’s societies
RZIM International Director Michael Ramsden responds to questions about the secularisation of Europe, the role of Christians in public leadership and the new ‘culture of victimism’.
Ruth Valerio: A lifestyle that cares about creation
Are Christians called to make a difference in environmental care? What has creation care to do with "loving our neighbours"? An interview with the Global Advocacy and Influencing Director of Tearfund.
‘Small churches, big potential for transformation’
Photos of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance’s annual gathering “Idea 2019”, in Murcia. Politicians and church leaders discussed about the role of minorities in society.
Bulgaria: Evangelicals ask government to protect religious minorities
Christians rallied in Sofia on November 18 to defend their rights. It is the second Sunday of peaceful demonstrations against a new religion draft law that could severely restrict religious freedom and rights of minority faith confessions.
Rallies in Bulgaria: “New bill on religion brings us back to Communism!”
Bulgarian evangelicals protested peacefully on November 11 against a draft law which could severely restrict religious freedom of faith minorities. Churches rallied in Sofia and other cities after the Sunday worship services.
Photos: #WalkForFreedom
Abolitionists marched through 400 cities in 51 countries. Pictures from Valencia (Spain), October 20.
Photos: Reaching people with disabilities
Seminars, an arts exhibition, discussion and testimonies. The European Disability Network met in Tallinn.
Photos: Hope for Europe
Unity in Diversity is the theme of the conference. Representatives of Evangelical Alliances and many other church leaders gathered in Tallinn (Estonia).
Romania: God’s Word among Roma people
Gypsies are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in Romania. According to 2013 estimates, the Roma groups make up 10% of the country's population, accounting for about 1.5 million people.
Latin American leaders unite to fight against imposition of gender ideology
Christian leaders from all over Latin America are concerned about the progress of gender ideology agendas in the region. Many are joining together in public demonstrations and training events.
How do fake news spread?
Tony Watkins, Coordinator of the Lausanne Media Engagement Network.
Lindsay Brown: The encouraging advance of the gospel in Spain
Church planting, the amount of books authored by Spanish evangelicals and the growth of the Christian student movement in the last decades, are some of the marks underlined by Lindsay Brown.
What do Christian communication and science communication have in common?
“As Christians, we also try to communicate a detailed and often slightly technical message”, says Kay Carter, Director of Communications of Tyndale House (UK).
Church planting in Strasbourg
A video on how evangelicals are planting churches in Strasbourg (France).
Christians, resilience and a post-Christian culture
Lindsay Brown: “The biblical pattern is not one of speed, but of steady sowing and gradual reaping in due course”.
Opinions expressed are those of their respective contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Evangelical Focus.
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