Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has admitted it might take him two rounds to win Russia’s presidential elections in March, a sign he is attempting to manage expectations about his falling approval ratings.
Few doubt that Mr Putin will triumph in the elections, as he attempts to return to the presidency for a third term, but the results will be scrutinised as a test of his popularity.
Mr Putin won two previous presidential elections by crushing margins, in part because many opposition candidates were excluded from the polls. But this time, even running against a handpicked field of perpetual runners-up such as Communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov, Mr Putin may not make it past the 50 per cent barrier in the first round on March 4.
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