Vladimir Putin gave his victory speech with tears in his eyes after winning Russia’s presidential election. Putin claimed a win when less than a quarter of the votes had been counted. Exit polls suggested he would take about 59 percent, though independent watchdogs reported widespread vote rigging. In his speech, Putin said that the victory showed that “our people can easily distinguish a desire for renewal and revival from political provocations aimed at destroying Russia’s statehood and usurping power.” Though the speech was delivered to a crowd of thousands, many of them had been ordered to attend and an opposition demonstration is expected to be held in Moscow on Monday evening.
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