RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin vowed yesterday to defend democracy, freedom of speech and improve the lives of ordinary Russians after defeating his rivals in an election strongly criticised by Washington and western observers.
Mr Putin (51) took 71 per cent of the vote, a huge mandate that he pledged to use to push through vital economic reforms, and a sign that most Russians support a combination of quiet change and strict discipline that critics call authoritarian.
"What we have done has not made Russians prosperous," the former KGB spy said of his first term in office, which saw a steady rise in wages and pensions.
"We have not brought prosperity. This is rather the dawn of prosperity. We will not settle for our accomplishments, and will strengthen a multi-party system. We will strengthen civic society, and do everything to ensure freedom of the mass media."
Mr Putin's election opponents - the most successful of whom, communist Mr Nikolai Kharitonov, won just 13.7 per cent - accused the Kremlin of offering illegal incentives to voters, co-opting regional leaders to back the incumbent, and unfairly manipulating television coverage of the candidates.
Senior US officials and international observers echoed their dissatisfaction.
"The election process overall did not adequately reflect the principles necessary for a healthy democratic election process," said Mr Julian Peel Yates, the head of the election mission from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
He said the campaign lacked "vibrant political discourse and meaningful pluralism", and "failed to meet important commitments such as treatment by state-controlled media on a fair basis and the secrecy of the vote".
The OSCE and Council of Europe said in their joint report: "The state-controlled media showed clear bias in favour of the incumbent."
On Sunday night, the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, told Russia: "You've got to let candidates have all access to the media that the President has", and urged Mr Putin "not to use his popularity to throttle political dialogue and openness in the society". He said Washington was "concerned about a level of authoritarianism creeping back in \ society".
Mr Putin has overseen the eradication of independent national television in Russia, and has been accused of persecuting oil billionaire and Kremlin critic Mr Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was jailed last October on charges of tax evasion and fraud.
Mr Putin shrugged off the criticism yesterday, and reminded the US of the problems that beset its presidential poll in Florida in 2000. "I promise you that all the democratic gains of our people will without any doubt be upheld and guaranteed. We, nearly four years ago, watched in amazement as the American voting system suffered glitches."
After winning his first Kremlin term on a now-broken promise to win Moscow's grinding war with Chechen rebels, Mr Putin managed to avoid the subject in campaigning for a second term. Daily bomb and gun attacks in the region now barely register on national television news.
Mr Putin has instead focused on the economic reforms at hand: streamlining massive bureaucracy, the bloated military and labyrinthine banking system, and helping small businesses prosper.
He created a new, deeply loyal and broadly reformist cabinet just before the election, and a servile parliament will rubber-stamp the Kremlin's wishes.
"I am going to put the government to work at once," Mr Putin said. "They are paid from the first day, so they should work from the first day."
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