Putin Wins Another Six-Year Term in the Kremlin

The Moscow Times ^ | 18 Mar 2018 | Reuters

[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.

[Glad2bnuts]

I agree, Putin is a friend of the American people. He is NOT a friend of the American elite.

[Innovative]

Putin wants to get Russia back in shape, that’s why he is staying.

[goldstategop]

Putin is in great shape for a 65 year old. No alcohol-induced aging or middle-aged potbelly.

70 is the new 50.

[hawkaw]

Friend of American people? Seriously? He is a dictator and is only interested in himself.

[shanover]

The Russians did it!

[OrangeHoof]

Way to go, Vladdy boy! We knew you could do it. Trump should place a very public phone call to congratulate you on your election. It would cause a media meltdown.

[goldstategop]

Putin and I share the same birth month. I’m ten years younger.

[Doogle]

Poison will make chit like that happen

[x]

“Liberal Democrat” Zhirinovsky is nuttier than Putin, though I don’t think he’s killed anybody yet ...

[WashingtonFire]

Washington led a nation that values freedom, liberty and the rule of law.

Russia has never had such a culture. It needs a strong figure to unite the nation. I’d rather it was a Christian who believes in the nation state like Putin performing this role than any alternative

[faithhopecharity]

HilLIARy was supposed to win the same way. But sorozNazi didn’t quite buy enough ilkegal votes where they were needed

[Navy Patriot]

Trump should place a very public phone call to congratulate you on your election. It would cause a media meltdown.

While that is true, we all know that Putin won his reelection by wholesale collusion with the Russians.

[goldstategop]

Putin’s victory was never in doubt. No Deep State exists to overthrow him.

Russians don’t have time to pursue nonsense like non-existent foreign election meddling.

There will never a Russian Robert Mueller.

[Eleutheria5]

Surprise. Any stories of collusion with America?

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks so much for your support to this point... I personally apprecaite it...
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Just $510.00 dollars to 94.00%

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

73.9 % sounds high, but I think it’s actually not, for Russia. A possible sign of weakness.

I could be wrong.

[goldstategop]

74% is four points higher than Putin’s 70% 2004 landslide re-election win.

A couple of points off a 80% approval rating. He could scarcely have done better.

And the 64% voter turnout is just a few points short of the 70% Kremlin target.

A win is still a win.

[Krosan]

Weak! In 1927 Liberian presidential elections the winner Charles D. B. King got 243,000 votes and that in a country with less than 15,000 voters.

[goldstategop]

Lots of dead voting in Liberia ;-)

50% of the vote is now in and Putin has 75% of the vote.

If it holds, it’ll stand as a record for Russian presidential elections.

[goldstategop]

58% in now and the vote upticked to 75.5%.

Putin talking of a government shakeup following the May 7 inauguration.

For now, the election results await.