Russian President Vladimir Putin easily cruised to victory in an election ruled neither free nor fair, solidifying his grip on power for another six years. Russia’s Central Election Commission awarded Putin with 87.2% of the vote in an election that was widely seen as tightly controlled and without the participation of any meaningful opposition. Western leaders have characterized the vote as fundamentally unfair. Yet, they have stopped short of officially declaring that they will not recognize the results, and Putin as president. While saying there was “nothing free or fair” about the election…
