Surprise: Putin Re-elected!!!

Well, not really a surprise is it, but the question must be:
WHY???
Why, even bother to go through with the all the farce and trouble to stage an election, where the result is foreordained?
An election where virtually all the participants in the election know that the game is rigged! This includes most of the electorate; at least those that are still capable to separate fact from fiction.
So again Why???
There’s the story of someone going into a bar, and seeing a friend over in the corner, sitting in a high-stake poker game.
Later he tasked his friend for taking part in a game that the whole town knew was crooked, and was answerd:
What can you do?? It’s the only game in town!!
So is that an answer to the “why”?
That even the pretense, (even where everyone knows it’s a pretense!) is better than no democracy?

The Russian bots are busy on our newspaper pages, with Anglo Saxon names like "John"or "Clifford" and such. Claiming that this validates the popularity of the dear leader, and the "special military operation".

Arol wrote:Well, not really a surprise is it, but the question must be:
WHY???
Why, even bother to go through with the all the farce and trouble to stage an election, where the result is foreordained?
An election where virtually all the participants in the election know that the game is rigged! This includes most of the electorate; at least those that are still capable to separate fact from fiction.
So again Why???
There’s the story of someone going into a bar, and seeing a friend over in the corner, sitting in a high-stake poker game.
Later he tasked his friend for taking part in a game that the whole town knew was crooked, and was answerd:
What can you do?? It’s the only game in town!!
So is that an answer to the “why”?
That even the pretense, (even where everyone knows it’s a pretense!) is better than no democracy?

I wonder if Putin was stupid enough to pad the vote enough that the turnout was effectively over 100%?

That has happened with certain tyrants in the past and has on those occasions, led to jokes about necromancy and the use of Ouija Boards for casting votes.

Latest is the terrorist attack on concert goers in Moscow.
Riddle me this? In a country where simply standing on a street corner with a blank sheet of paper in your hand leads to a rapid arrest, how come four Islamic terroists with unconcealable weapons could park outside a concert venue. Run in and proceed to massacre over 130 people, then leave in their same car, and get 500 kms away? Unkind commentators say that there is a police station in the building, and a major military establishment nearby.
When you add in that the Americans publicly warned about this two weeks previously, it starts to smell.
Then Putin blames Ukraine and talks about retribution.
Does he believe that the whole world is as conditioned and brain washed as his countrymen?

Daryl wrote:Latest is the terrorist attack on concert goers in Moscow.
Riddle me this? In a country where simply standing on a street corner with a blank sheet of paper in your hand leads to a rapid arrest, how come four Islamic terroists with unconcealable weapons could park outside a concert venue. Run in and proceed to massacre over 130 people, then leave in their same car, and get 500 kms away? Unkind commentators say that there is a police station in the building, and a major military establishment nearby.
When you add in that the Americans publicly warned about this two weeks previously, it starts to smell.
Then Putin blames Ukraine and talks about retribution.
Does he believe that the whole world is as conditioned and brain washed as his countrymen?

The recent terrorist attack in Moscow raises troubling questions about security protocols and the response of authorities. The apparent ease with which the perpetrators carried out the attack, despite heightened surveillance measures, is deeply concerning. The speculation surrounding possible motives and external influences, coupled with the blame game that follows, only adds to the complexity of the situation. It's crucial to address these issues with transparency and accountability to ensure the safety and well-being of all citizens.