Putin, Assad and Dean: Good Candidates for Forced Retirement.

http://sergeywatch.blogspot.com/2005/03/putin-assad-and-dean-good-candidates.html ^ | 03-08-2005 | sergey1973

[sergey1973]

The events of the past few weeks suggest that Vladimir Putin, Bashar Assad and Howard Dean may be good candidates for forced retirement. Hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later, but let me explain why I decided to put these 3 together on my retirement wish-list.

[sergey1973]

Sorry for double post--forgot indicate that it was an exceprt.

[GarySpFc]

And what percentage of the vote did Putin win in the last election?

[sergey1973]

Officially Puting got 52+% if you can call it an "election" (with oppositional candidates getting no TV or Air Time, no presidential debates, etc).

http://www.atimes.com/c-asia/BC30Ag02.html

Stalin also had "elections" where Communist Party always received usually 95% or 97% of the voting.

[GarySpFc]

In 2/2/2004 Putin's approval rate was 85%.

http://newsfromrussia.com/main/2004/02/02/52110.html

And Putin currently has an approval rating of 72%.

http://www.untimely-thoughts.com/?cat=3&type=3&art=1118

[GarySpFc]

In 2/2/2004 Putin's approval rate was 85%.

http://newsfromrussia.com/main/2004/02/02/52110.html

And Putin currently has an approval rating of 72%.

http://www.untimely-thoughts.com/?cat=3&type=3&art=1118

[sergey1973]

These ratings were from December, 2004. In the last few months his popularity dropped officially to 64% after "benefit reforms". And this rating is according to more or less official public opinion research organizations.

http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2005/03/04/011.html

Some sources indicate that Putin Ratings may be even below 50%. What matters most is not the current approval rating but where this rating go. And it is going down.

Certainly there is still a strong Russian myth about "kind czar" and "evil boyars", but it surely wears away and hopefully it will happen sooner rather then later.