Twenty years ago, on March 26, 2000, Vladimir Putin won the first-round of the presidential elections in Russia. However, his initial comments suggested that he recognized that he did not get the kind of mandate that could lead him to act without taking into account other political forces in the country.
Mr. Putin noted from his campaign headquarters in Moscow that the Communist Party had done better than expected, but added that “there are many people in the country who are not satisfied with the state of things. People are tired, things are tough for them, and they expect better things from me. But, of course, miracles don’t occur.”