“A strong president for a great country”. Campaign office for Vladimir Putin’s (re)election, Kazan, January 2018. Photo (c): Maksim Bogodvid / RIA Novosti. All rights reserved.
This article originally appeared on LeftEast, and was translated from Russian by Joseph Livesey. We are grateful for their permission to republish it in full.
According to forecasts, the upcoming 18 March presidential elections in Russia will proceed without any surprises, as just the latest legitimisation of another presidential term for Vladimir Putin. However, this foreseeable “victory,” gained via massive pressure on the electorate and the Kremlin’s tight control over the political sphere will still point to a deep crisis within Putin’s model of “managed democracy.” During Putin’s current third term, his regime has become much more clearly based on personality, while the fact that its “democratic” elements are a mere façade has become evident beyond all reasonable doubt. Over the past few years, the rhetoric of Russia as a “besieged fortress,” and rallying around a “national leader” in the face of external enemies has meant that elections at almost every level have become plebiscites for confirming faith in the country and loyalty to the government.
