Aaron Tilton, DW: Russian election: Choosing between Vladimir Putin or chaos?
President Vladimir Putin has cultivated his image as the force that guided Russia through the fallout of the collapse of the Soviet Union. That’s left many voters with little choice in the upcoming election.
At a recent campaign event in Moscow's Luzhniki soccer stadium a capacity crowd waited for the guest of honor. A sea of banners proclaimed "for a strong president" and "for a strong Russia."
Police put the attendance at some 80,000 with another 50,000 waiting in the wings. Anywhere else this would be a normal stop on the campaign trail. But in 2018, this was Russian President Vladimir Putin's only official rally, not counting an "impromptu" stop in Crimea. Russia's de facto leader for the last 18 years has never been an eager campaigner, but in an election season where his renewed victory seems all but a foregone conclusion, his enthusiasm appears to have reached new lows.
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WNU Editor: Unlike past Russian Presidential elections .... there is no enthusiasm for this one. Everyone knows who is going to be the winner. The turnout is also going to be underwhelming.
