CONDOLEEZZA RICE: PUTIN'S RETURN MAKES MOCKERY OF DEMOCRACY

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described Vladimir Putin's decision to run for a third term as a mockery of democracy.

"First of all, the way that the whole thing was done makes a bit of a mockery of the electoral process," Rice said in an interview.
Asked if it was a good idea for Putin to run again, Rice said "no" and sighed. "It's unfortunate." If Putin is elected in March as universally expected, Rice said, there is a chance, and perhaps a probability, that he may try to limit dissent and centralize power more than he had during his earlier incarnation as president. "There will be certain constraints and realities even for Vladimir Putin," she added, saying Russians have a greater sense of the wider world through travel and the Internet and may not tolerate political repression.

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Headlines for November 17, 2011

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CONDOLEEZZA RICE: PUTIN'S RETURN MAKES MOCKERY OF DEMOCRACY
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