Coming as no surprise, Vladimir Putin is the projected winner of the Russian Presidential Election by a landslide. Three people ran against him, but none received more that five percent of the vote as of the current count while Putin received 88%. This will give him another six years as president and he will surpass Josef Stalin as Russia’s longest-serving leader in more than 200 years. Putin currently holds an iron grip over Russia, and all indications are that he remains popular with the majority of the Russian population. But those who ran against him were not expected to garner much support, and the people who openly oppose Putin often face a grim fate such as former critic Alexei Navalny who died in prison from “sudden death syndrome”.
Donald Trump has suggested that he would to consolidate power to the executive office while also minimizing the Constitution if re-elected, and he has hinted at the possibility of staying in office beyond a second term. He has rabid support among his followers, but they represent no more than a third of the U.S. population. He has also given every indication that he would carry out retribution against those who oppose him if he returns to power. This suggests that he would try to recreate a Putin-style government in the United States, and many in the Republican party would back him. Seeing how Putin has remained in power for so long and how he is trying to extend his authority with the war in Ukraine and other actions, we should do everything we can to assure that a similar autocrat does not take control of the United States.