| And the winner of the Russian election is... 04:10 - Mar 18 with 1131 views | blueasfook |
Vladimir Putin. What a surprise!
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| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 06:08 - Mar 18 with 1076 views | tonybied |
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| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 07:35 - Mar 18 with 997 views | Churchman |
Even his opponents supported him. And who can blame them. Navalny’s death was his last useful contribution in proving where your interests lie if you are considering standing against him. |  | | |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 10:22 - Mar 18 with 906 views | Guthrum |
Altho there is a good chance he may have won a free and fair election, too. A lot of Russians love him - and with good reason when one looks at the country's history and culture.
Strong leaders have always been viewed positively as standing up for Russia againt external enemies. Ivan the Terrible (Tatars), Peter the Great (Poles and Swedes), Catharine the Great (Prussians), Stalin (Germans). Weak leaders have led to disaster. Compare with Yeltsin who was mostly drunk, allowing criminals and oligarchs to plunder the country while its influence and standing in the world diminished greatly. Putin is from that strong leader mould. He has built up the military and made Russia a significant player on the world stage again. His whole schtick is about not being pushed around by arrogant foreigners.
Russia does not have a deep history of democracy. Autocratic monarchy was succeeded by Communist dictatorship. Sure the Duma existed from 1906-17 and 1991 on, but a lot of that time it was purged or under state control. Public debate of government policy was not encouraged (could get you an extended holiday in Siberia).
Then you add in the polarisation of a nation at war. Not supporting the leader can be seen as unpatriotic, treasonous, even.
We in the West don't appreciate his genuine appeal to many Russians, even without the social control he has put in place. |  |
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| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 10:24 - Mar 18 with 892 views | _clive_baker_ |
Fair play, some effort to get 116% of the vote. |  | | |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 10:45 - Mar 18 with 862 views | Swansea_Blue |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 10:22 - Mar 18 by Guthrum |
Altho there is a good chance he may have won a free and fair election, too. A lot of Russians love him - and with good reason when one looks at the country's history and culture.
Strong leaders have always been viewed positively as standing up for Russia againt external enemies. Ivan the Terrible (Tatars), Peter the Great (Poles and Swedes), Catharine the Great (Prussians), Stalin (Germans). Weak leaders have led to disaster. Compare with Yeltsin who was mostly drunk, allowing criminals and oligarchs to plunder the country while its influence and standing in the world diminished greatly. Putin is from that strong leader mould. He has built up the military and made Russia a significant player on the world stage again. His whole schtick is about not being pushed around by arrogant foreigners.
Russia does not have a deep history of democracy. Autocratic monarchy was succeeded by Communist dictatorship. Sure the Duma existed from 1906-17 and 1991 on, but a lot of that time it was purged or under state control. Public debate of government policy was not encouraged (could get you an extended holiday in Siberia).
Then you add in the polarisation of a nation at war. Not supporting the leader can be seen as unpatriotic, treasonous, even.
We in the West don't appreciate his genuine appeal to many Russians, even without the social control he has put in place. |
I suppose it's easier to win fairly once you've assassinated any popular critics and meaningful opposition!
He does seem well liked by many though; and put into the historical context like that it makes some sense. I still don't see that 87% as an indicator of a free and fair election though. |  |
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| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 11:11 - Mar 18 with 817 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 10:45 - Mar 18 by Swansea_Blue |
I suppose it's easier to win fairly once you've assassinated any popular critics and meaningful opposition!
He does seem well liked by many though; and put into the historical context like that it makes some sense. I still don't see that 87% as an indicator of a free and fair election though. |
Certainly helps if you control the media and narrative, blocking most western sources.
The other thing which plays to his favour, albeit not to the health of the country, is the brain drain at the outset of the war and since. Many educated Russians fled (significantly to Helsinki) in the opening weeks of Russia’s invasion and in subsequent waves. They’ve lost ~500k-1m (by various estimates) well educated, and probably more ‘worldly’ travelled Russians who are far less likely to be supporters of Putin. |  | | |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 12:51 - Mar 18 with 760 views | Guthrum |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 10:45 - Mar 18 by Swansea_Blue |
I suppose it's easier to win fairly once you've assassinated any popular critics and meaningful opposition!
He does seem well liked by many though; and put into the historical context like that it makes some sense. I still don't see that 87% as an indicator of a free and fair election though. |
Of course - there is no suggestion this election was even slightly free and fair, even in the unlikely event the published numbers are not pure fiction.
But that's not really the point. He's not trying to make it look realistic, he wants to make a statement of dominance and power. A bit like the unsubtle murder of opponents, it's meant to intimidate. | |
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| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 14:27 - Mar 18 with 707 views | Churchman |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 12:51 - Mar 18 by Guthrum |
Of course - there is no suggestion this election was even slightly free and fair, even in the unlikely event the published numbers are not pure fiction.
But that's not really the point. He's not trying to make it look realistic, he wants to make a statement of dominance and power. A bit like the unsubtle murder of opponents, it's meant to intimidate. |
He also wants people to understand that his reach is a long one.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68549966
It doesn’t matter what country you are in, if you stand against the strong man as Volkov did you too can be on the wrong end of a meat tenderiser.
People, including leaders in the west, would do well to heed the lessons now support for Ukraine is dribbling away and the prospect of isolationist Trump looms. [Post edited 18 Mar 14:32]
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| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 19:47 - Mar 18 with 549 views | bluejacko |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 10:22 - Mar 18 by Guthrum |
Altho there is a good chance he may have won a free and fair election, too. A lot of Russians love him - and with good reason when one looks at the country's history and culture.
Strong leaders have always been viewed positively as standing up for Russia againt external enemies. Ivan the Terrible (Tatars), Peter the Great (Poles and Swedes), Catharine the Great (Prussians), Stalin (Germans). Weak leaders have led to disaster. Compare with Yeltsin who was mostly drunk, allowing criminals and oligarchs to plunder the country while its influence and standing in the world diminished greatly. Putin is from that strong leader mould. He has built up the military and made Russia a significant player on the world stage again. His whole schtick is about not being pushed around by arrogant foreigners.
Russia does not have a deep history of democracy. Autocratic monarchy was succeeded by Communist dictatorship. Sure the Duma existed from 1906-17 and 1991 on, but a lot of that time it was purged or under state control. Public debate of government policy was not encouraged (could get you an extended holiday in Siberia).
Then you add in the polarisation of a nation at war. Not supporting the leader can be seen as unpatriotic, treasonous, even.
We in the West don't appreciate his genuine appeal to many Russians, even without the social control he has put in place. |
So you didn’t see the videos of polling staff stuffing ballot papers in box’s after the station had closed? | | | |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 20:07 - Mar 18 with 525 views | GlasgowBlue |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 19:47 - Mar 18 by bluejacko |
So you didn’t see the videos of polling staff stuffing ballot papers in box’s after the station had closed? |
Guthers isn't saying it was a free and fair election. He's saying that Putin would have won a decent majority without the fraud and intimidation. For the reasons explained in his post. |  |
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| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 22:46 - Mar 18 with 457 views | bluejacko |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 20:07 - Mar 18 by GlasgowBlue |
Guthers isn't saying it was a free and fair election. He's saying that Putin would have won a decent majority without the fraud and intimidation. For the reasons explained in his post. |
Oops! | | | |
| And the winner of the Russian election is... on 22:51 - Mar 18 with 441 views | DJR |
And he's not far off overtaking Stalin to become the longest serving Russian leader for 200 years. [Post edited 18 Mar 23:06]
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