(Source: Lazopoulos George/Platon/flickr)
A state-run poll shows Russian President Vladimir Putin at his highest level of public support in four years – seventy-four percent of Russians would vote to re-elect him as president.
This should come as little surprise. Putin has historically built his ground support on a mix of nationalism and military swagger, and neither are in short supply nowadays.
Putin’s annexation of the Crimea Peninsula in 2014, while booed across the world stage, played well at home, especially among the crowd nostalgic for Russia’s glory days. (Don’t remember the details of the Crimea conflict? Blouin News has it covered here.) More recently, levering Russia’s role as international pariah, pitted against the U.S. and Europe, into one as a key player at crisis talks over Syria, has cemented Putin’s reputation as a leader capable of bolstering his country’s global influence.
Russia’s economy had been doing okay until recently. And Putin’s been refining his personality cult for years (not withstanding tiger memes, etc.).
Oh, and he also controls state media and has proven incredibly efficient at crushing any local opposition that may pop up.
As for the poll’s legitimacy, an independent poll had similar results.
Putin’s fan club isn’t limited to Russia, however. U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has praised Putin for his military acumen and said the two would “get along very well” (because of their shared dislike for President Barack Obama). The Russian leader enjoys popularity in other countries as well, notably Vietnam, China, and Ghana, as well as among rising populist parties across Europe, no doubt because he serves as a foil to perceived U.S. imperialism.
In other words, look for Putin’s star to keep rising.
We’ve covered Putin before. Check it out here.
