Putin becomes Russian president for fourth time
On 18 March, Vladimir Putin was re-elected president of Russia for the fourth time. He will be in power for another six years. However, some people say the vote wasn’t fair.
Who is Vladimir Putin?
Putin is one of Russia’s longest-serving leaders. He was born in Leningrad (today called St Petersburg) and grew up wanting to be a spy. After university, he joined the Russian secret service, the KGB, but he moved into politics in 1996 and became president on New Year’s Eve 1999. He remained in this role until 2008, when he stepped down and became prime minister (Russia has both a president and a prime minister). He became president again in the 2012 election. Last week’s win means he will be in power until 2024, when he is 71. Putin has an image of being tough.
He said he learned to fight as a child. “Fifty years ago, the Leningrad street taught me a rule: if a fight is inevitable [cannot be stopped], you have to throw the first punch,” he said.
What happened in the election?
More than 56 million Russians voted for Putin to continue as president – that was more than three quarters of the number of people who voted. Only 11.8% voted for his rival, Pavel Grudinin, who came second, and the rest of the candidates won very few votes. After the first results were announced, Putin held a giant meeting in the capital city, Moscow, and thanked everyone for their support. “Everyone who voted today is part of our big, national team,” he said.
Was the vote fair?
Some groups outside Russia say the election was neither free nor fair because there had been no real choice for voters. Putin’s main rival, Alexei Navalny, was banned from taking part, and the media coverage of the run-up to the election supported Putin. There were also reports that people had been ordered to vote and that officials added fake votes for Putin. “Not all candidates behaved honestly,” said one group. The election organisers said the vote was fair.
How did the rest of the world react?
China was one of the first countries to congratulate Putin on his win, along with the leaders of Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Iran, Kazakhstan and Venezuela, among others. However, western Europe’s leaders were not so fast. Many say Russia is becoming more dangerous under Putin. The UK said it would wait for the official report on the fairness of the election before it commented. Most Russians are happy with the result because they feel Putin has made their country stronger and safer.
What happens next?
Putin has said he is planning to change senior members of his government and could name a new prime minister. Some people think he is preparing for who will be in charge when he steps down in 2024. Others say they do not think he will quit and will rule Russia until he dies.