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In Moscow, more protests are taking place in response to Putin's presidential election win. Putin won 64 percent of the vote, and now has the chance to stay in power for another 12 years, if he's elected for two six-year terms. Putin has already been in power for twelve years; serving as president from 2000-2008 and prime minister from 2008-present. Up to 20,000 protesters marched on Saturday in Moscow to demonstrate their discontent with Putin's tight, long-standing grip on power. Though these elections were viewed as more fair than the December parliamentary elections, which drew more than 100,000 protesters, allegations of fraud remain.

The protests illustrate Russian citizens' struggle to voice their dissent while living in a not-quite-liberal democracy. Many arrests and detentions were made surrounding the protests, demonstrating the lack of true political freedom in Russia. Though their is a civic culture, it has trouble sustaining itself because dissent is highly monitored and often persecuted.

Russia's attempts at democracy have been marred by Russia's long history of a ruler-subject power structure. Unfortunately, with the re-election of Putin, this trend is continuing and Russia's hopes for a true democracy are dampened.

{via The Washington Post}