Putin claims landslide win after Russian election with no real opposition

President Vladimir Putin’s rule over Russia will be extended for at least another six years, after the Kremlin declared him the landslide winner of a presidential election with no real opposition.

President Vladimir Putin’s rule over Russia will be extended for at least another six years, after he claimed a landslide win Monday in a stage-managed presidential election with no real opposition.

The vote was orchestrated to legitimize the leadership of Putin, 71, after a crackdown on dissent that has left his rivals dead, jailed or in exile as his war in neighboring Ukraine enters its third year. Having led Russia for 24 years already, he will soon match Soviet leader Josef Stalin as the country’s longest-serving modern ruler.

Putin received 87.3% of the vote, Russia’s election commission said Monday after more than 99% of ballots had been counted, his highest-ever tally and far more than the 76.69% in 2018. The commission reported that turnout was 77.44%, the highest in Russia's modern history.

In a news conference late Sunday, Putin hailed the results as an indication of the country’s “trust” in him.

A service member casts her ballot in Russia’s presidential election in Moscow on Friday.Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP - Getty ImagesRussian elections have for years been tainted by mass fraud allegations, but the result this time was never in doubt and the overwhelming endorsement claimed by the Kremlin will likely raise even more suspicion.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-win-russian-election-opposition-rcna142926

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