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The Main “Result” Of Putin’s Rule

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The Main “Result” Of Putin’s Rule
Abbas Gallyamov

Support for one of the "bonds" fell by nearly three times.

One of the most common criticisms leveled at Russians is their preference for a “strong hand.” Last year, VTsIOM asked the country’s residents, “What does Russia need most right now?” Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed chose the option “a strong leader.” In 2000, 72 percent preferred this option.

A drop of nearly threefold.

Of course, one can find a favorable explanation for this. For instance, a respondent might reason as follows: we already have a strong leader, so asking for another one is pointless.

And yet, the fact remains: after a quarter-century of propaganda narratives about the advantages of strong leadership, the need to rally around a leader, the harm of political competition, and the dangers of liberal democracy, only 28 percent now cite a strong leader as one of Russia’s primary needs.

Perhaps the main outcome of the era of “strong-hand” rule is that the very idea of a strong hand has come to seem significantly less appealing.

Abbas Gallyamov, “Telegram”

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