Putin on Track for Commanding Win as Russians Head to Polls

Russians voted in a presidential election yesterday that was expected to give Vladimir Putin an easy victory, but his opponents alleged officials were compelling people to come to the polls so that a low turnout does not tarnish the win. Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 percent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger.

Another term will take him to nearly a quarter century in power — a longevity among Kremlin leaders second only to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia’s interests in what they view as a hostile outside world.

Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region, alleged Kremlin meddling in the U.S. presidential election, and Moscow’s bombing campaign in Syria, have been condemned in the West. But for most people at home, they have only burnished Putin’s reputation as a strong leader.

A row with Britain over allegations the Kremlin used a nerve toxin to poison a Russian double agent in a sleepy English city — denied by Moscow — has not dented Putin’s standing.

“I voted for Putin,” said Lyubov Kachan, a teacher in the settlement of Ust-Djeguta, in southern Russia.

“If anything is not going our way right now, that’s thanks to the world which treats us so negatively, while he is trying to stand up to that,” she said.

The biggest headache for Putin’s campaign was the possibility many voters, including Putin supporters, would not bother to come to the polls because they felt the outcome was already a foregone conclusion.

Putin opponents alleged employers with close ties to the state were ordering staff to go and vote, and send back evidence.

The majority of voters see no viable alternative to Putin: he has total dominance of the political scene and state-run television, where most people get their news, gives lavish coverage of Putin and little airtime to his rivals.

Many Russians believe he has restored stability after the chaos that ensued after the Soviet Union collapsed.

A March 9 survey by state-run pollster VTsIOM gave Putin, who was first elected president in 2000, support of 69 percent. His nearest rival Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party’s candidate, was on just 7 percent.