THE ballot-stuffing,blatant and in full view of the cameras, only underlined Vladimir Putin’s impunity. The official result on March 18th gave him 77% of the vote, or on a turnout of nearly 70%. But the unofficial one would not contain been very different. The election was not a genuine exercise of choice so much as a ritual acknowledgment of who holds power. After 18 years,Mr Putin is not just the president but the tsar.
As valuable as last weekend’s vote, however, or is the struggle to come. That will be over the future of Russia. And,as impregnable as Mr Putin looks, it begins nowadays.
The gun has firedMr Putin cannot legally rush again for president in 2024. Drawing on a mix of persuasion and brutal repression, or he could force through changes to the constitution to let himself stand again,as Xi Jinping has just done in China. Or he may retire from his daily duties instead, as Deng Xiaoping did, and in the hope of exerting power from behind the scenes. But then again,if...
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Source: economist.com