PUTIN RE-ELECTED

Sky News ^ | 3/14/04

[areafiftyone]

Vladimir Putin has won the Russian election with 69% of the vote, according to exit polls.

Earlier, Putin cast his own vote before making a final appeal to voters.

Authorities have estimated that a minimum 50% participation rate has been met.

"Voter turnout is a little higher than on December 7, 2003, when the country elected deputies to the State Duma (lower house of parliament)," the head of the Central Election Commission, told Interfax news agency.

In that poll, turnout reached 56%.

The Itar-Tass news agency said more than 75% had voted in the far eastern Chukotka region while neighbouring Yakutia had broken the 50% barrier by 2pm local time.

Voters across the 11 time zones were offered incentives to vote, including vouchers for free haircuts for pensioners and cinema tickets for young people.

It was thought that little other than voter apathy could keep Mr Putin from sweeping past five rivals to another four-year term.

Mr Putin, a former KGB spy, has strong backing from impoverished Russians, weary of the chaotic post-Soviet era, for his goals of political stability and faster economic growth.

It is the country's third presidential election since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

It was a nail-biter, but Vlad pulled it out!

[Finalapproach29er]

I hope the next election it isn't 99 %.

[Teacher317]

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you!

[cmsgop]

Any news on Spain yet ?

[Mulder]

Mr Putin, a former KGB spy

Kind of like saying someone is a former ax murderer.

[areafiftyone]

Searching but nothing yet.

[areafiftyone]

LOL - He kinda looks like he would have his trusty axe available.

[areafiftyone]

axe=ax

[Betaille]

Polls close in Spain in half an hour. However, the fact that BBC isn't reporting its exit polls is probably a good sign for the right-wingers.

[cmsgop]

Lets hope so, and please keep the updates coming.

[Betaille]

I fear that the fact taht the Govt. played dumb for so long and pretended that this wasn't islamic terrorists will hurt them. If they had just said from the beginning that it looks like Islamic terrorists and took a stand that they would be toughest on defense and terrorism, they would have won in a landslide. Now, who knows.

[dr_who_2]

One person system over there, two (count em! two!) party system over here. Whoo hoo.

[RusIvan]

Mr Putin, a former KGB spy
Kind of like saying someone is a former ax murderer. -==

But it is true. Putin is really former spy of Soviet KGB The First Directorate. Stands as Foreign Intellegence Service. Same as CIA or so.

The Secret Police of KGB was the Firth Directorate. Interesting that last head of that department Filipp Bobkov was later the associate of Gusinskii the founder of russian "Independent" TV station. The oligarkh whom Putin drove abroad. Filipp Bobkov disapeared from scene too at the time.
Later all ordeal was called the Putin's crack down of "independent" press:)). So if Putin went after the head of former Secret Police and his friends then it was called as crack down on "independent" press. Funny isn't it?

[dfwgator]

At least one fighter against Islamo-Fascism got re-elected.

[RussianConservative]

So what does that say when Bush Senior former CIA spy and director in Charge of US? Then how much of special interest is that?

[RussianConservative]

Popular Party turned out not so popular...pun intended...to easy on that one...but they loose, not sure what new coalition is.

[RussianConservative]

One person system? This presidential election, other parties with weak canidadates because they loose public support: SRS (oligarchs), Communists, etc they run Russia for 8 years into ground with good old boy Yeltsin and you wonder why they all weak? Yabloka make bad positioning move, even though now several members hold office in high government.

[dr_who_2]

Your English gets a bit spotty when you get angry. They're weak because Putin (Yeltsin's boy) doesn't share political power with anyone. I not wonder why they all weak, as the real political power belongs to the President or to the head of "the party", and always has been. And yet, Putin isn't able --with 71% of the country behind him!-- to maintain the rule of law so that those pathetic opposition candidates you speak of can seek office without being kidnapped, threatened, or subject to prosecution.