Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected to a fifth term on Sunday in a landslide victory, following a three-day election panned in the West and criticized by independent election monitors. The election was the eighth since the position of president of Russia was established by referendum in March 1991 amid the collapse of the Soviet Union. 1991: A Historic Victory for Boris YeltsinIn June 1991, Boris Yeltsin, chair of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, won Russia’s first presidential elections, defeating five other candidates with 57.3% of the vote (45,552,041 votes). The ex…