‘Marked degree of insecurity’: Vladimir Putin wants ‘façade’ of people’s support

Vladimir Putin’s overwhelming victory in the Russian election speaks to a “marked degree of insecurity” from the president, according to ANU North America Director Professor John Blaxland. An exit poll suggests the Russian leader won 87.8 per cent of the vote, keeping him in power for another six years. Earlier, Russians at home and abroad displayed their opposition to Mr Putin on the final day of voting in the presidential election. “This is a man who wants legitimacy, wants to have the façade of people’s support and understandably wants to use that as a tool,” Mr Blaxland told Sky News Australia. “When you control the outcome, you control the numbers and that is essentially what has happened.”