Not today, not with what elections are in Russia now and have been for well over a decade. But back in 2000, he absolutely was an elected head of state, yeah. I've been there when it happened, and yes, we coped (many by leaving the country, then or later when it became clear that what we expected is what is actually happening).
Just goes to show what happens when you elect people like this, and why any democracy that wants to remain one will have mechanisms in place that will block such people regardless of how many votes they might get.
Not today, not with what elections are in Russia now and have been for well over a decade. But back in 2000, he absolutely was an elected head of state, yeah. I've been there when it happened, and yes, we coped (many by leaving the country, then or later when it became clear that what we expected is what is actually happening).
Just goes to show what happens when you elect people like this, and why any democracy that wants to remain one will have mechanisms in place that will block such people regardless of how many votes they might get.
I am sorry to say that the elections in Russia are more reliable than that in the US, where they take a month to count.
Yes, elections in Russia these days are reliably falsified.