He has been in power for 18 years, whether as president or prime minister, and you don’t expect it to go down well with some citizens as opponents have likened his tenure to the reign of a tsar, or emperor.
More than 1,000 arrests are said to have been made in 19 cities by the Riot police in Russia as some opponents protest against Putin’s rule in Moscow and other Russian cities on Saturday.
Why were there protests?
Nearly half of the reported 1,000 arrests on Saturday were in Moscow.
Domestic opponents accuse Mr Putin of undermining democracy in Russia – a policy dubbed “managed democracy” – to keep genuine opposition parties out of parliament and ensure that he and his allies retain power indefinitely.
Mr Putin was re-elected president with more than 76% of the vote, his best ever election performance, but widespread irregularities were reported by some international observers. Allegations of ballot-rigging had dogged previous elections too.
The country’s best-known opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was barred from standing against Mr Putin, on grounds of a conviction for embezzlement which he denies and alleges was politically motivated.
Mr Navalny was arrested briefly as he tried to join Saturday’s unauthorized protest rally in Moscow under the slogan “He’s not our tsar”.
Despite the wild protests going on in Russia, Vladimir Putin has been sworn in for his fourth term as president of Russia at a ceremony in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow.
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