MOSCOW -- The outcome of Russia's presidential elections was known long before the polls opened March 14. President Vladimir Putin had successfully marginalized the opposition by placing mass media under state control and exiling tycoons who were supplying opposition groups with donations.
Yet, even given all the manipulations preceding the vote, it would be unfair to say that Putin has forced the people to vote for him.
Suffering from the side effects of the democratic revolution of the 1990s, the majority of Russians willingly supported the aggressive populist, who vowed to restore social stability in the country. Tired of constant change, many people embraced the new stagnation. Quite a few voters interviewed on the eve of the elections said the thing they liked most about Putin was that their lives were unlikely to change during his second term.