What's happening?

This weekend, millions of Russians queued to vote in the country's national electionA vote in which someone is chosen to represent a group of people. to choose a new leader - even though they already knew who would win.

Vladimir Putin has led RussiaThe largest country in the world by area. It has a population of 144 million people. for 24 years already. Now, after claiming 87% of the vote, he will be in power for another six.

Even though it held an election, Russia is not a democracyA system of government based on the idea of rule by the people.. Candidates who are against Russia's war in UkraineA country in Eastern Europe. It was invaded by Russia in February 2022. were not allowed to stand for election.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, many in the West said it would only be a matter of time before Putin was forced out of power.

Two years later, he still looks strong. For some, this shows that dictatorshipsA form of government in which one person possesses all the power without any limits. might be the future - not democracies.

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Others disagree. Dictators cannot trust anyone, and often do not listen to anyone either. This means that when their country has a problem, they rarely solve it.

Meanwhile, democracies are very good at listening to people's problems and solving them.

Has Putin fallen into a trap?

Yes! The longer a dictator spends in power, the less they listen to ordinary people. Eventually, their own decisions will lead to their downfall.

No! People have been talking about Putin's fall from power for years. But he is still there. Meanwhile, democracies are not looking healthy at the moment.