Three reasons why Vladimir Putin dey more powerful dan ever

Vladimir Putin wey don dey in power for 24 years don dey elected president of Russia for di fifth time.

Putin win a fifth term as Russian president afta recording 87% votes, according to Russian exit polls. Im no face any credible opposition candidate sake of say na di Kremlin dey tightly control Russia political system, media and even dia elections

Putin don already serve 20 years as president and four as prime minister, and for di age of 71, im don rule Russia longer dan any ruler afta wen Soviet dictator Josef Stalin bin spend 31 years in power.

Di Kremlin ensure say Putin no get any credible opponent and wit dat, e bin dey certain say im go secure a fifth term by wide margin.

President Putin say im win for di election go allow Russia to become stronger and more effective.

"Out of evri voice, we dey build a common will of di pipo of Russian Federation," Putin tok for im campaign headquarters.

Dis na di three reasons why di Russian president dey more powerful dan ever:

'Censorship and di elimination of dissent'

"Putin sabi how to suppress all kain political tok-tok for di kontri," Andrei Soldatov, one Russian journalist wey don dey live for exile for London since e dey forced to run comot for 2020 tok. "And sake of say e dey so good at am, e also really dey good for how to remove im political opponents," e add.

Only three oda candidates show on di ballot of di 2024 election, and none prove real challenge to Putin. Dem all share direct support for both di president and di war for Ukraine.

Di real threats to di president position don either dey jailed, killed or removed for some oda way, although di Kremlin deny any involvement.

Just one month bifor polls open, Putin ogbonge opponent, 47-year-old Alexei Navalny, bin die for di penal colony wey dey above di Arctic Circle. E dey serve one long prison sentence for charges of fraud, contempt of court and extremism, wey dem criticise say dey politically motivated.

Di war for Ukraine

For one post-election news conference, President Putin bin vow say e go press on wit di invasion of Ukraine.

Now into its third year, the war no be di swift victory many pipo for Russia bin dey expect but Dr Ekaterina Schulmann, one Russian political scientist wey base for Berlin, argue say Putin dey use di war to im advantage.

"Wen e bin start, e suppose be like di Crimean model, only larger," she tok but " e obviously no short or bloodless and e bin affect di way Russians dey see demselves, di outside world and dia leader".

Russia growing economy

Despite ogbonge sanctions wey dey on Russia sake of di invasion of Ukraine, di kontri don surprise many economists as dem become di fastest growing economy for Europe.

"Di economy dey function wella, and e don make Putin popular sake of say e dey carry imsef once again as pesin wey don defy di West for im major assault on di Russian economy," BBC Russian business correspondent, Alexey Kalmykov tok.

Instead make e reduce as many bin don expect, di Russian economy don increase by 2.6%, according to estimates by di International Monetary Fund (IMF), despite Western sanctions, wey include di freezing of $300bn for assets.

But dis sanctions neva unilaterally apply across di globe. Dis allow Russia to trade freely wit kontris like China, India and Brazil while dia neighbours, including Kazakhstan and Armenia, dey help Russia to avoid Western sanctions.

But e no fit last forever...

Although Putin show to dey more powerful dan ever, Dr Schulmann warn say dis eventually need come to end.

Tanks to one 2020 amendment of di Russian constitution for one nationwide referendum, Putin dey allowed to serve at least two more six-year terms for office, wey fit see am be president until 2036 - wen e go be 83 years old.

"Retirement no strike me as possibility," Dr Schulmann tok. E add: "Ideally, e need to die for office and dey succeeded by pipo wey share di same autocratic mind-set."

But Dr Schulmann argue say dat fit no happun. She tok say Russia system dey "age" and dey "headed by pesin wey no dey get younger, stronger or any more resilient". She conclude say all di "stability dey concentrated inside one pesin" wey "no fit live forever".

Russian electoral commission bin award Putin more dan 90% of di vote for Donetsk wey Russia dey occupy.

Donetsk na di largest city for eastern Ukraine wey Russia don occupy and na wia Moscow dey boast most of dia loyalty.

Across polling stations for Russia, dem detain at least 80 protesters for acts of vandalism. Some of di reported incidents bin involve green dye wey dem pour into ballot boxes on Friday, as well as fireworks wey dem set off inside polling stations.

Russians bin cast dia votes across 11 different time zones between Friday and Sunday, but ontop di ballot, e no get any credible opponent to di incumbent leader.

How di world react to Russian election

Many Western authorities don criticise Russia election say e no dey free and fair.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine refer to Putin as a "dictator" wey dey "drunk from power".

"E no get any evil wey im no go commit to prolong im personal power," Zelensky tok.

For di United States, one White House tok tok pesin say di election dey "obviously not free nor fair sake of how Putin bin imprison im political opponents and prevent odas from running against him."

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron criticise di vote on X wia im tok say "dis no be wetin free and fair elections look like"

Di German foreign ministry call di vote for Russia "pseudo-election" and add say "Putin rule na authoritarian, im rely ontop censorship, repression and violence"

Meanwhile, di Poland foreign ministry say e go dey "impossible to make a free, democratic choice" for di Russian election

Kim Jong Un of North Korea send congratulatory message give Putin as im win di Russian election.

Chinese foreign ministry tok tok pesin congratulate Putin. "We firmly believe say under di strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia relations go continue to move forward"

‘Putin no be politician, im be gangster’- Alexei Navalny wife

Di wife of late Russian opposition Alexei Navalny say di pipo suppose stand against President Putin.

Yulia Navalnaya bin vote for Russian embassy wey dey Berlin wia she add say di West need to realise di kain pesin wey Russian president really be – a “gangster”.

For one of her op-ed for Washington Post several days earlier, Navalnaya say make Russians “no recognise Putin as di legitimate president of Russia.”

“I dey urge you to finally hear di voice of free Russia and take a stand against am (Putin) - no recognise di results of di falsified elections,” she write for her op-ed.

For her closing remarks, she say di world need to “finally realise say Putin no be who im appear to be. Na tyrant, a war criminal - and a murderer.”

Navalny bin die for prison inside di Arctic Circle, di prison service confam.

Dem see Navalny as di most vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin. E bin dey serve 19-year jail term for offences many pipo consider as politically motivated.

Di 47-year-old blogger - wey survive poisoning wit one nerve agent - die as e dey serve long prison sentence for February 2024, afta more dan three years for detention.