Putin won his fourth presidential term Sunday with nearly 77 per cent of the vote — his strongest electoral support ever. The result gives Putin new confidence to stand up to the West and deploy Russia’s resurgent power on the world stage. Those accusations ultimately bolstered Putin at home among those who see him as their defender against a hostile outside world. The only candidate to openly criticize Putin during the campaign, liberal TV host Ksenia Sobchak, won just 1.7 per cent. See complete Associated Press coverage of the Russian election: https://www.apnews.com/tag/RussiaElection

Source: National Post March 19, 2018 06:30 UTC