A landslide victory in Russia’s presidential election has ensured another six-year term for Vladimir Putin. The 71-year-old received a whopping 87.8% of the vote in an election that the United States did not consider free and fair.
The turnout in favor of Putin was the highest in Russia’s post-Soviet history, according to the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM).
If Putin completes his next six-year term, he will become the longest-serving Russian leader since the reign of Catherine “The Great.”The former empress ruled Russia for 34 years and 4 months 1762-1796.
Former Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin led the country for 29 years from 1923 to 1954. If Putin lasts out his term, he will surpass Stalin and become the longest-serving Russian leader with 200 years in office.
The 71-year-old, who first came to power in 1999, has led the country for 25 years and Sunday’s re-election showed he remains widely popular among the Russian public.
The former KGB foreign intelligence officer has been in power since 1999, first as prime minister, then president, and then as the country’s prime minister for four years. In 2012, he became president again and has remained in power to this day.
In 2020, Vladimir Putin signed an order allowing him to remain in power until 2036, taking his term to a staggering 37 years.
Mr Putin’s time has come Five American presidents and seven British prime ministers.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin warned the West in his first comments since his landslide victory.
Referring to French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments and the possibility of a conflict between Russia and Nato, Putin told Reuters that anything was possible in the modern world. “Everyone knows that this is one step away from a full-scale World War III. I think almost no one is interested in that,” he said.
Putin said he hoped President Macron would stop trying to escalate the war in Ukraine and play a role in seeking peace. He added: “It looks like France has a role to play. All is not lost yet.”
“I have said it over and over again and I will say it again. We support peace talks, but not just because the enemy has run out of bullets,” he said, adding, “If they are really, seriously, We hope that the two countries can establish long-term peaceful and good-neighborly relations, rather than simply take a break of 1.5-2 years to re-arm.”
