Russia elections 'not quite worthy of Stalin, but not bad'

Is good friendly Russian police help citizen who fall down, da?

As expected, Russian president Vladimir Putin's protégé Dmitry Medvedev was elected by a wide margin in Russia. And, just as expected, the jails are filling up with Russians protesting the rigged election.

Riot police arrested dozens of opposition supporters protesting Russia's flawed election shortly after Gordon Brown warned president-elect Dmitry Medvedev that he would be judged by his actions.

The clashes in central Moscow came as world leaders offered Vladimir Putin's handpicked successor lukewarm congratulations but stopped short of condemning an election win that critics have described as stage-managed.

[ ... ]

Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, was much more scathing about an election that has left the world uncertain as to who will really lead Russia. Mr Putin will return as prime minister after his protégé is inaugurated on May 7.

"The election was conducted Russian-style, with a victory known in advance," Mr Kouchner said, adding that Mr Medvedev was elected with "very surprising figures, not quite worthy of Stalin, but not bad." Mr Medvedev won Sunday's election with 70 percent of the vote, matching the figure that analysts have long said the Kremlin wanted him to receive.

As long as the Russian economy remains propped up by inflated oil and gas prices, the citizens will stay pretty quiet and go along with the sham democracy. But if and when those prices collapse, it's going to get very interesting there.