The Russian President, Vladimir Putin is seeking a fourth term as Russia goes to poll today. From all accounts in the media and given that Putin’s strongest opponent, Alexei Navalny, has been barred from competing, it looks like the president is poised to win hands-down.
This one-sided election is expected to cement President Putin’s power for another six years.
After a lacklustre campaign, polling has started in the Far East and 109 million voters are eligible to cast their ballot across 11 time zones in the world’s largest country.
This election is riding high on anti-West sentiments as Russia is dealing with diplomatic crisis with the United States over election meddling as the United Kingdom over alleged poisoning of a spy and his daughter on British soil.