Topical 15/3/24

Here’s something fascinating to wonder about – who will win the Russian ‘elections’, March 15 to 17? Clue: according to The Economist newspaper, in the past two presidential elections Vladimir Putin, unkindly referred to by some people as a ‘murderous dictator’, officially won 64 per cent of votes in 2012, then 77.5 per cent in 2018. This time around more Putin opponents have been put in gaol, fled abroad for their safety, are barred from running or have ended up dead, killed by Putin’s thugs. The Economist predicts that this time Putin will claim that 79 per cent of voters back him.