Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian powers are not constrained by elections, but he is alert to the danger that his rule would look illegitimate without them. That creates a tension, which is resolved through “managed democracy” – a euphemism for fraud and repression camouflaged with ritual ballots, held under a constitution that notionally guarantees political freedoms but in reality serves only the president.
Russians are invited to elect a new Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, later this week, but they know in advance that United Russia, the official party of Putinism, will win a majority.
