In a surprise to absolutely nobody, Vladimir Putin has won a fifth term as Russia’s president, extending a quarter-century of rule and potentially aiding his wish to stay in power well into the next decade.
In 2020, he amended the Constitution of Russia to exempt himself from presidential term limits until 2036, when he’ll be 83.
Putin is Russia’s longest-serving Kremlin leader since Soviet-era dictator Joseph Stalin who was in power for 10,636 days – Putin has served 8,844 days, as of March 17, 2024, when polling booths closed.
All credible opposition to Putin is either dead, in prison or exiled, establishing his power over the country of 144 million people as absolute.
