Russian authorities have significant work ahead of them to address the challenges facing the country, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with parliamentary leaders on Tuesday.
Putin said his landslide victory in last week’s presidential election is no reason to “rest on one’s laurels,” but instead offers an opportunity to continue improving the country.
“We still have – our people constantly face – all kinds of stupidity and injustice, starting from the lowest levels [of governance] and ending with the very highest. And we cannot… just sit down and function as usual… We need to rethink how we solve the problems facing us,” the Russian leader stated.
Citizens who voted in the recent election fulfilled their duty, and “now it’s our turn to fulfill our duty to them,” Putin said.
He urged the leaders of parliamentary parties to focus on the “interests of the cause,” rather than corporate or partisan considerations. Officials must be selected for government based on their strengths and “ability to solve the problems that we are faced with,” Putin added.
The president also called on Russian political groups to unite and find a common way to move the country forward.
“There are fundamental things for the representatives of each party. Each person strives to achieve a solution to any given issue in the way they see as optimal. But I urge everyone to look for compromises that are necessary for our country,” Putin concluded.
This year’s Russian presidential election was held from March 15 to 17. Putin was reelected for a fifth term by a landslide, claiming a record 87.28% of the vote, equating to over 75 million people, according to Central Election Commission data.
In a victory speech at his campaign headquarters in Moscow late on Sunday, Putin thanked Russians for their continued trust in him, stating that the “only source of power in the country is the Russian people.”
He also called on the population to remain united, stressing that outside forces will not “intimidate and suppress” Russia if its people work together toward a common future.