Russian election: Vladimir Putin reelected president

2012-03-06 35

http://nma.tv
Russians reelected Vladimir Putin president in a general election on Sunday, reinstalling him in the Kremlin after a four-year stint as Prime Minister.

A tearful Putin milked a crowd of supporters following his win, yelling "Glory to Russia" while welling up with tears.

Putin will take back the presidency from Dmitry Medvedev for the first of what he hopes will be two six-year terms that will see him in office until 2024.

But Putin will have to tackle an increasingly emboldened opposition and a Russian middle class unsettled still upset over massive vote rigging in December's parliamentary election.

A growing protest movement sprung up in the wake of December's poll and has continued ever since, with numerous anti-Putin street protests.

In what was seen as a concession to the opposition, incumbent President Dmitry Medvedev announced a review into the sentence of Putin's jailed former rival and oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

The protesters were out again on Monday following his reelection, but were met by a strong security presence that saw hundreds arrested.