Russian President Election Results: Vladimir Putin Clinches Dramatic Victory

Russian President Vladimir Putin has secured a resounding victory in the presidential election. According to news agency Reuters, Putin received 88 percent of the votes, marking the highest margin since Soviet times. This will be his fifth term as president, having been in power since 1999 when Boris Yeltsin handed him the presidency due to poor health.

Putin was one of four candidates for the presidency

Apart from Vladimir Putin, the other contenders in the Russian presidential election were Nikolai Kharitonov from the Communist Party, Vladislav Davankov from the New People Party, and Leonid Slutsky from the Liberal Democratic Party. This election saw four candidates vying for the presidency.

It’s worth noting that Vladimir Putin has held power in Russia for the past 24 years, so his victory was expected. Putin is unwilling to relinquish control of Russia’s reins, which is why most of his opponents are either in jail or seeking refuge abroad. Recently, one of Putin’s critics, Alexei Navalny, passed away.

“Russia Will Become Even Stronger Now”

Voting took place in Russia from March 15th to 17th. Putin’s opponent, Nikolai Kharitonov, received 4 percent of the votes. Vladislav Davankov and Leonid Slutsky secured third and fourth place respectively. After the election results, Putin stated that Russia would become even more powerful and influential.

Putin has easily secured a new six-year term. He is set to surpass Joseph Stalin and become Russia’s longest-serving leader, serving for over 200 years.

A Brief Overview of Putin

Vladimir Putin was born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). After completing his graduation, he worked in the KGB. From 1985 to 1990, he worked in East Germany. Later, he entered politics. He became Russia’s Prime Minister in August 1999. On December 31, 1999, he became the acting President of Russia. Then, on March 26, 2000, he was elected as Russia’s President and assumed office on May 7, 2000. He was re-elected as President for a second term on March 14, 2004.

After that, he became Russia’s Prime Minister on May 8, 2008. On March 4, 2012, he was re-elected as President of Russia. Again, on March 18, 2018, he won the presidential election.

After organizing a referendum, Putin has effectively removed the constitutional limit on the number of terms a president can serve, potentially allowing him to remain in office until 2036. After that, Putin will surpass Stalin to become the leader who ruled Russia for nearly three decades.

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