Russians prefer a strong leader to democracy International Herald Tribune THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2006 Two-thirds of Russians see a strong leader, and not democratic government, as best for their country, and an overwhelming majority see a strong economy as more important than a good democracy, according to the results of a survey that were released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. "These findings can only add to Western concerns that, under the government of President Vladimir Putin, democracy is in retreat in Russia," Pew commented in its report on the data. The figures, based on the results of a survey...