TIME Magazine Asia April 2, 2018 Edición anterior

RISING TSAR
Tensions were running high inside the Kremlin. There were only weeks to go
before Russians voted in the March 18 election, and federal ministers were
worried about keeping their positions. During a meeting, one turned to President Vladimir Putin and asked, “Vladimir Vladimirovich, well, what will happen to me after March 18?” Everyone present understood that the
minister had made a terrible mistake. Inside this Kremlin you cannot publicly demonstrate weakness, and you cannot ask Putin about your future. Not that he would give a straight answer; according to my sources, Putin gave a sly smile and replied, “Well, why, even I do not know what will happen to me after March 18.” Of course, Putin’s re-election for a fourth term was a given—and the electorate duly delivered it, with 77% backing the incumbent. But still the Russian political elite waited in horror for the day of the election—not because they had doubts about the result but because they were terrified of what would come next.