Vladimir Putin was reelected to another six years in office by the Russian people in a landslide victory--he received 76% of the vote. His win today will secure his position as president until 2024, giving him the second longest time in power next to Stalin. Putin's final term is expected to cement the system that brought Russia back onto the world stage after the collapse of the Soviet Union as one that will outlive him. Russians also hope to see a continued message of stability despite turbulent international relationships and renewed faith in the legitimacy of the Kremlin despite allegations of fraud and collusion in the 2016 United States presidential election.
The current feelings of Russian distrust shared by many Americans are very reminiscent of the Red Scares both before and after WWII. If Putin is successful in implementing a system that will support and bolster Russian international strength, it could very well lead to a second Cold War or at least a period of heightened tension between us and them, but hopefully Russian and American politics will have shifted away from the mentality that led us into the Cold War and their growing strength will be all around positive.
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/03/19/594968480/after-election-landslide-its-putin-s-russia-more-than-ever
No surprise that he won the election, but will he continue to win elections and surpass Stalin as the longest in power? I wouldn't think that the Russians have many good choices for president, so they are too scared to vote for anyone new and just stick with the "devil you know is better than the devil you don't."
ReplyDeleteBrooke Simpson
This grasp at continued power is somewhat similar to Xi Jinping's call for a removal of term limits in China just weeks ago; it's as though undemocratic authoritarianism is in season this spring.
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