Does Russia 'trust' Putin?
Nicole FallertRussian President Vladimir Putin hailed his preordained electoral victory Sunday as a sign of the country's "trust" and "hope" in him.
Despite several opposition protests across Russia, Putin easily claimed another six-year term by getting 87% of the vote. Putin has been in power since 1999, and the predetermined victory will allow him to surpass Josef Stalin's 29-year tenure, making the former KGB agent the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years.
Putin hailed the results as a clear indication of Russia's faith in him. But his many critics saw them as another illustration of the preordained nature of the election. Criticism of Putin or his war in Ukraine has been criminalized. Independent media outlets have been closed down. Putin's fiercest political foe, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison last month. Other Putin opponents are either in jail or in exile.