Publication

This edition analyzes the results of Russia’s 18 March 2018 presidential election, which extended President Putin’s term in office up to 2024. More specifically, the authors examine the reasons for holding the vote when no one doubted who would win, pointing out how this relates to growing personalism in the Russian political regime. The piece then focuses on how Putin engineered his victory, arguing that this involved the exclusion of viable opposition candidates and control of the political narrative. The edition additionally features a collection of documents and statistics on the election.