Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on Monday. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)
Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still
Important Takeaways:
- The tally, virtually unimaginable in any democratic nation, suggests that the Kremlin is now less focused on manufacturing a veneer of electoral legitimacy and more on creating a cult of personality around Putin as Russia’s undisputed national patriarch and leader for life.
- We should see elections under Putin as not being about popular sovereignty, but about popular subordination
- It is about the masses voting to accept Putin as their czar
- It’s not just that the Kremlin is no longer embarrassed to rig the election. I think it’s almost, ‘So, what you can do about it?’
- Western leaders face a strident, emboldened adversary in command of a nuclear arsenal.
- Appearing supremely confident, Putin shrugged off the “unfortunate” death of his main rival, Alexei Navalny, in prison last month, which has left Putin with no conceivable challenger.
- Nobody from the very beginning considered these elections to be elections
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