Posted on 03/18/2018 12:48:05 PM PDT by GoldenState_Rose
Putin's thumping victory will extend his total time in office to nearly a quarter of a century, until 2024, by which time he will be 71. Only Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ruled for longer. Putin has promised to use his new term to beef up Russia's defences against the West and to raise living standards.
None of the seven candidates who ran against him posed a threat, and opposition leader Alexei Navalny was barred from running. Critics alleged that officials had compelled people to come to the polls to ensure that voter boredom at the one-sided contest did not lead to a low turnout.
Russia's Central Election Commission recognised that there were some irregularities, but were likely to dismiss wider criticism and declare the overall result legitimate.
Putin loyalists said the result was a vindication of his tough stance towards the West.
Putin's bellicose language reached a crescendo before the election in a state-of-the-nation speech when he unveiled new nuclear weapons, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.
At odds with the West over Syria, Ukraine, allegations of Russian election meddling and cyber attacks, and the poisoning in Britain of a former Russian spy and his daughter, relations between Moscow and the West are at a post Cold War low.
Putin, 65, has been in power, either as president or prime minister, since 2000.
(Excerpt) Read more at themoscowtimes.com ...
SHOCKING NEWS !
George Washington was popular too but even he had the grace to step down. Special man. Special legacy shining ever more brightly in light of moments like today. Over two centuries later.
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3616251/posts
What an upset win!
Congratulations. I have to say that when I was in Moscow, it was very clean and orderly. I think Putin has done wonders for Russia. Just stay away from Ukraine Pooty.
That grace in this country started dying in the 20th Century and died with FDR. That's why the 22nd Amendment had to be adopted. In Russia, there never was such grace. Tsar Vladimir will rule the New Russian Empire until he is overthrown or dies.
The DNC uses his playbook.
I call Russian Collusion.
Won with 74% of the vote with a 64% voter turnout.
Exceeded in 2004 landslide win by four percentage points.
It was a few points off his 80% personal approval rating.
In the face of a divided, uninspiring and feuding opposition it was an easy - and expected win.
More concerned about Merkel hanging on in Germany. ere’s
Yup! And Xi Jinping is serving for life over in China.
Here was Putin’s official statement of congratulations:
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/57081
Russia is in great shape. Do not believe the media on anything, much less what they say about Putin.
Communists came in second as they always have since the fall of the Soviet Union with 14%.
And the liberal opposition was reduced to a rounding error of plus or minus 2%.
If none of them had showed up, the result would have been the same. You can’t beat a guy with an 80% approval rating.
Putin is certainly an enigma to both Russians and foreigners but he does get where most Russians are and can credibly speak for the country.
He’ll have more flexibility now.
Xi Jinping is ruling* for life, I mean. Not “serving.” The latter being a silly American concept. (Christian actually.)
Wow. Who could have called this one?
Putin only won because Trump hacked the election for him.
Hillary would have won were it not for Trumpian hacking
I think if Putin steps down then he's probably a dead man.
“Russia is in great shape. Do not believe the media on anything, much less what they say about Putin.”
Exactly. Putin wants to get the Russian economy going and also wants to be friends with the US, as well as fights against the Muslim terrorists.
It’s good that he won reelection with such a wide margin.
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