World News: Putin "Re-Election" A Crude Display of Tyranny in Action
- Details
- Category: World News
- Published on Monday, 18 March 2024 12:29
- Written by Olivier Longhi
Triumphantly re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin seems as untouchable. However, a more advanced analysis of reality would tend to evoke an atmosphere of an end to his reign, or at least the beginnings of difficult years to come.
Vladimir Putin's truncated victory, almost vulgar as the manipulation is meant to be crude and visible, in the presidential election of March 17, which re-elected him for six years at the head of Russia, has an atmosphere of the end of his reign that does not mean its name.
Beltway Insider: Biden/Gaza Aid Arrives by Sea, Israel/Hamas, Russia, 2024 Election: GOP Heavy Hitters Denounce Trump, Gerald Levin
However, in view of the current situation, triumphantly re-elected and undisputed warlord, Vladimir Putin seems untouchable and unstoppable since he has been in power since January 31, 1999. So why evoke this notion of an end-of-reign atmosphere? There could be several reasons for this.
First, if Vladimir Putin was so sure of his power and influence, he would not have taken time to martyr Alexei Navalny, whose name will long haunt Russian history and that of the Russian president.
Ridge Line
Vladimir Putin may have referred to it as a "sad event" in his post-election speech, but the fact remains that Navalny's death in an Arctic penal colony looks more like the elimination of an active and dangerous opponent than a classic accident.
World News: Alexei Navalny Death Ushers in Putin’s Modern Dictatorship
At the end of this reign, there is also a question of opposition, because, although muzzled on Russian soil, it remains active abroad, working to denounce the excesses committed by a Russian power bogged down in heavy economic difficulties and the war in Ukraine.
Because here again, the Russian budget line reveals more of a ridge line than a serene boulevard. By declaring himself in favour of tax cuts and other social buffers, Vladimir Putin is exposing himself and forcing his administration and his governance to live up to promises in a thorny economic context: the Western sanctions imposed on Russia due to the war in Ukraine are bearing fruit, altering the results of the Russian economy, even if they are invisible or poorly understood from the outside.
Flaws and Tradition
Finally, will Vladimir Putin still be able to ask Russians to make efforts and sacrifices as a war in Ukraine drags on, which was supposed to be short and fast?
World News: The Republic’s View of the 2024 Presidential Election
The Soviet fuel score with which Vladimir Putin was re-elected hides a whole set of flaws that, one by one, are cracking Putin's presidency, just as the scores aimed at re-electing the former first secretaries of the Communist Party hid the shipwreck of the Soviet Union.
And what about the Kremlin leader's request for a truce in fighting during the Olympic Games? While Vladimir Putin must certainly be familiar with the ancient Greek tradition of Greek cities interrupting their clashes during the Games, it would be interesting to know the motivations that led him to make this request.
In the end, and despite an omnipotence that seems to know no limits, it also appears how much Vladimir Putin seems alone in a future that does not necessarily plead in favor of Russia or, in any case, its immediate happiness.
World News: European Elections the Many Shades of Populism
Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist, recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, a press and publishing consultant, and a communications consultant.
