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Gallery|Vladimir Putin

Putin, polls and politics

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hold on power attributed to questionable elections and sweeping police powers.

Putin, polls and politics

By Danylo Hawaleshka

History Illustrated is a weekly series of insightful perspectives that puts news events and current affairs into historical context using graphics generated with artificial intelligence.

Putin, polls and politics — Since taking office in 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made sure that nothing stands in his way of winning elections, relying in part on cultivating a cult of personality — but also doing so much more.

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Putin, polls and politics — Putin took over from Boris Yeltsin with an electoral win in 2000. Despite some claims of media bias and limited opposition, the vote was generally considered free and fair.

Putin, polls and politics — But Putin’s next three presidential wins — in 2004, 2012 and 2018 — are widely considered suspect. In 2008, Putin, by law, couldn’t run for a third consecutive term, so he backed Dmitry Medvedev and bided his time as prime minister.

Putin, polls and politics — The run-up to the 2012 presidential vote was particularly bad. In late 2011, Russians staged massive protests — the largest since the fall of the Soviet Union — directing their anger at Putin for what they saw as rigged legislative elections.

Putin, polls and politics — Putin’s forces responded with a concerted crackdown, something they’ve come to almost perfect. These days, the state maintains control with facial recognition and phone data that tracks dissenters.

Putin, polls and politics — Those protests in 2011 gave rise to Putin’s greatest rival — Alexey Navalny, who at the time played a vocal role, and was sentenced to 15 days in jail for taking part in an unsanctioned protest.

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Putin, polls and politics — Navalny would go on to pursue an anticorruption campaign that embarrassed Putin and his government, and he came close to running for president in 2018 before he was denied registration.

Putin, polls and politics — On February 16, a month before the latest presidential vote in Russia, Navalny mysteriously died in an Arctic prison.

Putin, polls and politics — Today, Putin is 71 years old and still formidable. By most accounts, he’s not going anywhere. And because of constitutional changes that he pushed through, he could hold power until 2036.